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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24954166">The Light at the end of Tunnel</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alucard450/pseuds/Alucard450'>Alucard450</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Overwatch (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:27:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>82,045</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24954166</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alucard450/pseuds/Alucard450</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Satya Vaswani was trapped in her reality of lies and deceptions. Sombra was walking a dark lonely path towards an unknown destination. This is a story of how these two met, changed each other lives and went on to save the world while finding their own family with members of Overwatch.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ana Amari &amp; Fareeha "Pharah" Amari, Ana Amari &amp; Reinhardt Wilhelm, Emily/Lena "Tracer" Oxton, Fareeha "Pharah" Amari/Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix, Genji Shimada &amp; Hanzo Shimada, Genji Shimada/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Gérard Lacroix/Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix, Hanzo Shimada and Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani, Jean-Baptiste Augustin &amp; Sombra | Olivia Colomar, Jesse McCree &amp; Hanzo Shimada, Junkrat | Jamison Fawkes &amp; Mei-Ling Zhou, Junkrat | Jamison Fawkes &amp; Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani, Lúcio Correia dos Santos &amp; Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes &amp; Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani &amp; Everyone, Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison &amp; Hana "D.Va" Song, Sombra | Olivia Colomar &amp; Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix, Sombra | Olivia Colomar/Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I have edited few portions of the chapter as I found it a bit lacking. I will be editing other chapters as well. Over time I am realizing that some scenes needs refinement, so stay tuned for the edited chapters as well.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Satya Vaswani staggered towards a dark alley, walking with severe injuries. Bleeding from wounds in her limbs and abdomen, she sat down near a light post in the streets of Utopea. As she settled down, she created hardlight bandages to stop the bleeding but her senses kept failing, pertaining to blood loss. Her mind drifted towards the events that transpired in the last few weeks and the final encounter with the truth left her broken. ”So, this is the price of learning the truth, of breaking the chains of control.” she thought to herself, with her eyes closed. There was a chilling silence around her, which was hauntingly disturbed by a hardlight armored soldier wielding a photon weapon, with the symbol of Vishkar Corporation on his chestplate.”I found her. Orders.” The armored soldier walked towards her, weapon raised with the intent to terminate. Satya, perhaps in her mind accepted what was about to happen and dropped her photon projector on ground. Her hardlight prosthetic and  neural implant were damaged. She can’t create any object that would let her escape the desperate situation. She drifted in her sleep as the footsteps of the soldier  and the sound of a charged beam grew closer.</p><p>Suddenly she heard the soldier panicked as his weapon malfunctioned and  damaged his hands. She could vaguely see a cloaked figure burst out of thin air, clad in purplish pink attire.</p><p> ”Qué onda.”</p><p>The mysterious figure pointed her smg towards the soldier’s head and fired her weapon, killing him as blood gushed out of his head. She picked up the communications device the soldier had and spoke, masking her voice</p><p> “Target eliminated.”</p><p>Satya looked at the figure, recognizing the attire as her lips curled into a smile. As her senses faded ,she could feel the figure lifting her up, injecting a biotic capsule and placing her in a car parked nearby. She hacked the controls of car to autodrive and set the destination to some safe house. Bidding her goodbye, she disappeared in thin air. The car set towards the given destination, as the electronic screen beeped with a very familiar symbol, the symbol of Overwatch.</p><p>…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………</p><p>(A few weeks before the incident)</p><p>Satya was resting in her Vishkar apartment in Utopea, fiddling with her prosthetic and creating hardlight snowflake fractals out of her hands as a to keep herself focused. She has been antsy after learning about the situation in Paris. The world was brewing in a pot of chaos ,something she hated profoundly. She had already suffered through one Omnic crisis and saw how it damaged the world. But the recent events point towards another global war between omnics and humans, which might cause irreparable damage to the world. Similar situations were also brewing throughout the world.</p><p>Satya was currently heading a project in Mumbai, for creating  self sustainable housing facilities. The project was due in a few days and in mean time she was busy creating the required architectural plans for the project. As she felt tired from day’s work, she moved to her kitchen to make her a cup of chai.The day was over and she wanted some well earned rest after working for two days without rest. She proceeded towards her kitchen and started making some tea with an assortment of cookies from her symmetrically arranged cupboard. After her chai was perfectly brewed, she took a cup of chai and cookies as she proceeded towards her living room.</p><p>Satya felt a chill down her spine. As she stopped in her tracks, she could feel a presence in front of her. Her window was open and she could feel something pointed towards her direction. Her doors were closed and the locks glowed with a purple hexagonal skull.Her photon projector was not with her and she felt a dread holding her tray.</p><p>The presence then came out of her camouflage and Satya  saw a woman, clad in an purplish pink attire with a half shaved hair. Cybernetic implants adorned  her shaved portion and her limbs glowed in iridescent manner. The mysterious figure was pointing an SMG in her direction, ready to fire.</p><p>“You are very perceptive.”</p><p>The lady in front of Satya spoke as her attention  shifted towards the  figure in front of her, when she released the weapon from her face, chuckling slightly.</p><p>“Relajate, I am not going to kill you. Ha….. You should have seen the look on your face.”</p><p>The figure started to laugh sarcastically, as she moved to lay herself on the chaise lounge in the room. Satya was not impressed. As she saw that figure laying herself on the chaise lounge looking at her as she spoke in a condescending manner.</p><p>“Am I supposed to be impressed?”</p><p>“Relax Miss Vaswani. I am not here to assassinate you or something. I suppose I should introduce myself, as it is rude for a guest. I am …”</p><p>“Sombra, I presume.”</p><p>The figure looked at her stunned, thinking as to how she knew her, when Satya spoke up.</p><p>“The symbol. I have seen it in some reports of corporate secrets released a few years back on Lumerico Corporation in Mexico, when someone released their corporate fraud in eyes of Mexican government. I predicted Sombra was a collective, not a …….. single entity.”</p><p>Sombra looked at Satya with an interesting gaze thinking “She is not what I presumed.” As she rearranged herself on sofa, she  questioned Satya “How did an employee of Vishkar corporation know about the secrets of Lumerico?”</p><p>“I am not at the liberty to discuss that. Regardless to what do I owe your pleasure?”</p><p>Satya moved towards her sofa and arranged her tray. She was disappointed as the chai has turned cold, so she created a small hardlight insulated burner to heat her chai. Sombra looked at the series of events with peculiar interest, as she observed the intricate way Satya created those objects from her prosthetic hand. As she focused on these intricate events , Satya spoke up, elegantly crossing her legs .</p><p>“Ahm.. So why is an international corporate hacker in my home threatening me?”</p><p>Sombra looked back at her, her focus disturbed as she spoke up.”Lo Siento. I am here to propose an offer. A give and take sort of relationship. You help me get something from Vishkar and I will offer an olive branch of friendship.”

"What makes you think I will betray Vishkar? And why would you think I will accept the friendship of a completely unknown person whose first gesture was pointing a weapon at me?"
</p><p>"Well let just say a little birdie told me something. A secret of yours. A secret that you don't want the world to know."</p><p>“And what secret of mine do you possess?”</p><p>Satya furrowed her eyes, gracefully sipping on the chai as Sombra took one of the cookies and started relishing the sweet taste.</p><p>“Hmmm. Sentrise saciada.”</p><p>Then Sombra returned her attention to the  lady, sitting elegantly in a white pajama as she replied "Why of course, the Calado incident. The fire in favelas of Rio. Vishkar's espionage mission.”
 She  opened up a virtual screen on the tips of her fingers as a familiar scene started playing  on it. A scene which Satya was well aware of, as her gaze concentrated on the screen. The memories of the night resurfaced. The cries of people, the agonizing sounds of spreading fires, destroying the lives of common populace. Their livelihoods being destroyed, all for the sake of order and rebirth, as Vishkar so rightfully claimed. The guilt and regret  behind the incident reemerged, as she slowly blinked her eyes.</p><p>“What would happen if these scene gets released in in Rio? What would the Rio’s mayor think about it? Vishkar was already in bad graces of those people. Their rebellion forced Vishkar out of Rio. What will happen when these people know that Vishkar was responsible for all the damage done to them in that unfortunate incident all those years ago. Will Vishkar take responsibility?Or will Vishkar make you the scapegoat? Throw you under the bus? Whats one more sacrifice for the sake of corporate greed? So many scenarios, all detrimental to you, Miss Vaswani.”</p><p>Sombra, with her usual snide demeanor, looked upon the face the woman sitting in front of her wishing to find a tinge of fear. But she was shocked because there was no fear, there was a pang of guilt and  regret on her face as her eyes were closed. Satya was looking into the footage, as she kept the chai on the table. She pressed her hands close to each other and took a deep breath. All for the sake of order. That has always been Vishkar's motive. No action is immoral as long as Vishkar's ideology was fulfilled. Satya remembered the subtle words, of her conversation with Sanjay when the new headquarters were established.'That is the price of Rebirth. We will make their lives better.' She agreed to those sentiments as she watched that little girl with a burned face. But was it okay? Doing what needed to be done, sacrificing innocent lives, all for the sake of order and harmony. The hacker was right. Whats one more sacrifice in order to achieve your ideology? How many more sacrifices would be done to satiate this so called ideology, that she was so passionate about?

 Sombra felt a bit of remorse, as she reveled in the fear shown by those afraid of information but here, there were none. It wasn't fear that emerged in her eyes. It was guilt, regret, contemplation of one's actions. Satya's eyes showed a long held remorse. Sombra always felt ecstatic when the people she tried to coerce would show horror strapped to their faces. The knowledge that their secrets were in her palms, and she can play them like a fiddle, it felt exhilarating for her. But all she saw were the regrets of one's sins, their inability to walk away knowing it will destabilize them, that their dreams were a nightmare when their hypocrisy is exposed. Sombra didn't feel the same emotion she felt always. As Satya opened her eyes, she stared into her  golden eyes, finding them alluring. But not as to appear distanced, she resumed her conversation.</p><p>“Besides what interesting things I have heard about your employers, Miss Vaswani? Especially about your handler, Sanjay Korpal.”</p><p>Satya’s eyes shook up, as she heard a very familiar name. What has Sanjay anything to do with this situation? Her mind was disturbed at the notion as she asked gravely.</p><p>“What have you heard?”</p><p>Sombra, still gazing into her eyes, broke her attention as she responded “Le dira que, you agree to do me a favor and I will tell you what you want to hear. Your agreement will provide you your first secret. Besides, where did you get these cookies? These are delicious.”</p><p>“I prepared them myself.”</p><p>Sombra made a confusing sound, but quickly regained her derisive demeanor and replied “So I am giving you a few days. Think about it. Agree to my friendship and I will share the first secret with you. Boop.”</p><p>Sombra touched Satya’s nose with index finger and then camouflaged herself  with a giggling noise as she disappeared from her sight. She threw her translocator near the ground and teleported there. As she decided to leave Utopea, she felt amused about this meeting. She still has one of her hand baked cookies in her hand which she ate, as she departed from that area.

"These cookies are really tasty."</p><p>Satya was startled by the evening’s incident, as she put down the teacup and rested her head on the sofa. She was starting to doubt in Vishkar’s visions ever since she saw the ruined face of that small girl who she saved from the fire in favelas. But she still tried to convince herself that Vishkar stood for order and harmony and sometimes distasteful actions are required for achieving them. But now, she was not so sure. What was Vishkar and Sanjay  hiding from her? Will she ever be able to escape from the notions that Vishkar implanted within her? She knew herself. She knew she went along with every action taken by Vishkar. She remembered the times she has to dirty her hands in the line of so called duty. She needed to know the truth.  But the question remained, will she be able to accept the truth? Can she accept that Vishkar used her and she went along because it soothed her ideological hypocrisy? She decided to accept her offer, if they ever meet again and learn the truth, even if there was a sure possibility that she won't be able to accept the truth. She knew that if she accepts the truth, she has to suffer through the chaos of the fallout. Her life was always a picture of order and harmony. She removed the chaotic aspects in subtle ways, like ignoring the truth in front of her, accepting Vishkar's manipulation and being stuck in her ideological delusion. Will she ever be able to break out of the prison of hypocrisy, when that prison provided her a stable life. The thoughts jumbled her mind, as she moved to carry the tray and teacup. She saw crumbs of cookies all over her chaise lounge where Sombra was sitting, describing the scene disgustingly.</p><p>“How unsightly.”

She wove her hand to create a brush and a dust pan, as she cleaned off the crumbs and asked her garbage disposal robot to receive the  trash. She proceeded to keep the tray and cups in the basin to be cleaned later. As she freshened up to go to her bed, a myriad of thoughts processed through her brain and she felt exhausted.</p><p>But none of them knew at that time, that this meeting was the fulcrum which would provide the world a chance to survive a very dark future.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So the editing goes on. I have removed the Moira's dance scene as I found it out of place in this scenario. I also have made more editing. Check it out.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It has been a few days since that evening incident. The hacker hasn’t contacted Satya yet as she waited anxiously to give her reply. Meanwhile Satya was busy completing her plans for Mumbai’s project. One day she got a very familiar call from Sanjay Korpal. Satya picked up the call and proceeded to talk normally as to not give away her intentions.</p><p>“Hello Satya. Its been a while.”</p><p>“It certainly is.”</p><p>“So, how are your plans for the Mumbai’s project coming along?”</p><p>“They are complete. I have to finalize the intricacies with the team today.”</p><p>“You may have to postpone it. We may have something for you.”</p><p>Satya froze for a moment. Were they on to her? Do they have any suspicion regarding her doubts and intentions? Still, masking her emotions, Satya asked for a confirmation.</p><p>“And what it would be?”</p><p>“We have an upcoming project in Oasis. Vishkar needs your skillset to win this project. You can  start preparing  your luggage. I have booked a flight to Oasis. We have a gala to attend as well. So perhaps prepare a fine dress for the event as well.”</p><p>Satya was somehow relieved that they haven’t caught up to her yet. Still if she has been invited to Oasis, it is something she cannot ignore. Oasis has always been a pleasant place to visit. The structured infrastructures housing some of the most advanced scientific endeavors in the world, she always found a pleasure in visiting the elegantly designed city. She had designed some of the infrastructure as part of Vishkar’s top architech, and thus was quite familiar with the environment. But this gala event worried her. Large scale events with tons of people, loud music annoyed her. Still if her presence has been requested, she can’t outright deny it. So she started packing her garments and necessary stuff as she got the mail regarding the  travel arrangements. As she picked out her dresses, she found she didn’t have any new garments to wear for the event. So she decided to visit Utopea’s designer shops to pick up an elegant dress for the occasion.</p><p>Next day she departed for Oasis early morning in a private Vishkar transport. As the transport left Utopea’s airspace, Satya kept thinking about the recent occurrences. She always had a strict control over every aspect of her life, believing in order and discipline to be the key towards a successful path. But recent events shook her ideologies. The Calado incident was the first strike where Vishkar incited chaos so as to  create the notion of order. Perhaps before she believed those people from favelas to be foolish, discerning their need to reject an ordered and comfortable way of life. But now she was skeptical. Is Vishkar truly a beacon of order and perfection? Or the notion of Vishkar’s ideals were so ingrained within Satya that she found it hard to reject the fallacies behind it. Her mind drifted towards these thoughts as she fell asleep.</p><p>The flight announcement came a few hours later when the Vishkar transport started landing in Oasis airport, as Satya woke from her nap. Adjusting her appearance, she arrived at her destination where a hover car was waiting for her. She went inside to find Sanjay sitting inside, waiting for her.</p><p>“I presume the flight was satisfactory”</p><p>“It was. So when is the event?”</p><p>“Evening 7:00 pm. I have booked a suite in the Golden hotel. You can refresh yourself and prepare for the event. I know you feel distressed while dealing with people but this project is very important. Besides this time you will be dealing with individuals who ideals align a lot with that of Vishkar.”</p><p>Satya frowned her nose as she heard the idiocy of the statement, but responded politely ”I believe I present myself in a respectable manner, without being overly familiar. And I only disagree if the  individual makes spurious statements.”</p><p>Sanjay gave an exasperated sigh as he replied “Huhh… Fine. We will meet in the evening. I will introduce you to our clients and then you can take it from there. I will be busy dealing with other……situations.”</p><p>Satya was confused at the last statement. What does it mean other situations? Is there any other purpose to Vishkar other that achieving the contract in Oasis? Many doubtful questions came to her mind but she shoved them in the back of her mind, as she focused herself on dealing through the evening.The hover car stopped near the destination as Sanjay led Satya to her suite and bid goodbye. As Satya entered her suite, she saw a painting slightly crooked. Bothered, she adjusted the painting and went about her usual refreshing.</p><p>As evening came by, Satya went to the gala. She was dressed in a  cyan bias cut gown, with smaller headpiece in both of her ears. Her ears adorned  elegant hexagonal hoops and her neck was adorned by a sleek diamond chain. She met up with Sanjay waiting in the car, as they moved to the gala, which was being held at Founders Assembly. As she nervously  fiddled with her prosthetic, the vehicle reached its destination.</p><p>(Somewhere in oasis) Sombra was walking along Reaper near Minstry of Genetics. As she saw the posh city of Oasis, her mind drifted towards uncovering corporate secrets, making ‘friends’ and perhaps steal high level designs of advanced equipment not available in market. Oblivious, she struck herself to Reaper’s back and fell down. Reaper turned back and in a growly voice started berating her.</p><p>“Sombra, for the last time, focus your head in the game. “</p><p>“Lo Siento. By the way boss, what are we doing here in Oasis? Do we have some mission here? I haven’t seen Widowmaker anywhere. “</p><p>“She is waiting in her room at the Golden Hotel. I am here to visit an old friend.”</p><p>“May I know her name?”</p><p>“No need. You will understand soon enough.”</p><p>Reaper walked towards the ministry of Genetics as Sombra followed him.</p><p> </p><p>(In the Gala) Satya was leaning on a wall in the roof where the gala event was taking place. The event seemed mediocre compared to other events she usually attended. But it was to be expected as only the scholars of Oasis were attending the event along with a few political dignitaries. Feeling the cool breeze flowing outside, she wove a hard light tulip chair and sat on it with her legs crossed and her hands closed. She was feeling a bit giddy. She prepared for what she wanted to present as she created a holographic interface and  held it in her palms, checking the designs she had worked in the morning while she created a dodecahedron using her prosthetic and rotated it on her palms. While she was skimming through the designs, a server with an assortment of drinks approached towards her and served her drinks. Being focused on her work, she didn't seem to hear the approaching footsteps when she finally heard a voice.

"Drinks ,ma'am."

She finally turned around and the object rotating in her palms finally disappeared. She greeted the server and took a glass of champagne, when the server left her and went towards the other guests. With a glass of champagne in her hands, Satya now was alone, when Sanjay came towards her with a few dignitaries, more noticeable one was a tall Irish woman  dressed in three piece suit. Satya was confused as to who Sanjay now wanted her to meet, when Sanjay introduced them.</p><p>"Satya, meet our clients for this project, the esteemed members of Ministry of Genetics and Head of the Ministry, Miss Moira O'Deorain. Dignitaries, meet our finest hard light architect, Miss Satya Vaswani."</p><p>Satya looked at the dignitaries,especially the  tall redhead woman, with hetero chromatic eyes as  she bowed her head a little to address them.</p><p>“Good evening, everyone. It’s a pleasure meeting you.”</p><p>“Pleasure’s all mine. “</p><p>Moira addressed Satya with a devious smile. Sanjay left the scene slipping by,  leaving Satya with the dignitaries alone.</p><p>“Miss Vaswani, I am fascinated with your work in hard light architectures. You have  done an amazing job in the previous Oasis project. The symmetrical nature of that structures , constructed completely in hard light ,possessing exact golden ratios, it's captivating to watch that structure now adorning the streets of the Ministry of Geology.”</p><p>Satya was surprised someone gave an exact description of her work. She responded with same vigor.</p><p>“Thank you. I am surprised someone was able to decipher the golden ratios in those structures. But I shouldn’t be. After all you are a famous geneticist, with cutting edge research in  genetic engineering. If you can decipher the intricacies of human genome, analyzing my designs will be a child’s play.”</p><p>“You have heard about my work.”</p><p>“I have read your research papers regarding extensive DNA alteration using custom genetic programs. The concept is intriguing and it has far reaching benefits for humanity, if utilized properly.”</p><p>Moira was surprised, as someone not versed in the field of genetics, Satya gave  an accurate description and criticism of her work. They discussed about each other works for some time. Satya found the conversation oddly relaxing, as any discussion with an actual intellectual, people who could see the chaos in something and draw an ordered conclusion out of it is bound to be interesting. </p><p>"Anyway, shall we start? I am sure you are interested in examining the designs Vishkar has created for this new project. There has been significant modifications from the previous project. I am certain you will appreciate it. Please take a seat."

Satya then  started her presentation on the designs. She created a few tulip chairs out of hard light into existence for the dignitaries to sit. Then she created a dynamic presentation interface and a 3D structure of the designs for the project. The dignitaries, impressed by the creation of a board room in the middle of an event, concentrated on the 3D structure in front of them. Satya explained the intricacies of the designs for the project, showing necessary illustrations on the interface as well as the 3D structure in front of them. The dignitaries themselves interacted with the designs, to inquire about possible faults that might occur. Satya cleared their doubts with clear and concise descriptions. The meeting went on for a while, with the intellectuals grinding Satya with their inquiries for about half an hour. Then the presentation finally ended and the persons sitting there were quite impressed, as they assured Satya that they are intrigued by these revolutionary designs, befitting for infrastructure in a Genetics Department and Vishkar will definitely get the project. Satya thanked them for their constructive criticism and acknowledgment for Vishkar's works. As the dignitaaries left one by one, Moira stood up as she spoke to Satya.   </p><p>"Miss Vaswani, can i have a moment of yours?"
      "Of course."
Satya and Moira walked towards the balcony as they stood facing the night sky, the cool night breeze of the desert flowing through them. Moira, adjusting her stance, spoke first.

"Your presentation was remarkable. I believe the board will ratify the project in Vishkar's favor."
</p><p>"Thank you." </p><p>“Look at this world, Miss Vaswani. See what science has brought in existence. The Oasis is a shining example of what scientific development, unrestricted by fear and laws could bring in existence.”</p><p> Satya looked upon her , yet found the statement somewhat hilarious. Perhaps she wanted to say how incorrect the statement but barring her criticism, she replied cynically.</p><p>“Of course, Science obeys the laws of nature. It's only to be expected.”</p><p>Moira was staggered by such a cynical reply. This statement boggled her mind yet gave her a clear picture of the person she was dealing with. A person who agreed yet disagreed with her vision of scientific progress. A person who isn't callous, who is careful of picking the appropriate parts from a mess of ideas. She seemed to be someone, who won't just believe blindly until it matched her ideology. Perhaps that's the reason why Vishkar had such a tight grip on her mentality. Intrigued in the idea of her choices when her dream will be  finally shattered, she curled her lips into a devious smile. Then she saw at the time as she excused herself from the conversation, bidding Satya farewell.</p><p>“Perhaps we will be seeing each other soon.”</p><p>Moira left the balcony as she disappeared in the crowd. Satya finally found a moment of respite as she created a hard light chair and rested on it, gazing at the stars. She closed her eyes to feel the night breeze on her cheeks, when a figure mysteriously appeared besides her.</p><p>“Boop.”</p><p>Satya concentration was broken, as she sprang out of her chair in a fright and Sombra stepped back.</p><p>“Woah . Miss  me.”</p><p> Satya was confounded. This was a meeting she never would have guessed happening now.As she adjusted herself elegantly, she asked “What are you doing here?”</p><p>Sombra looked upto her as she smiled deviously. Then gave a sarcastic reply.</p><p>“I was here to well ‘make friends’. But was surprised to see you  with Moira ”</p><p>Satya stared at her, unamused as she rolled her eyes. Then she replied “So why come meet me here? You know we can’t be seen together or Sanjay will suspect some foul play.”Satya took Sombra’s hands and dragged her towards a large empty corridor and then asked “So did you have something to say?”</p><p>Sombra looked at her amusingly as she said “Have you considered my offer? Will you consider my 'friendship'?”</p><p> Satya knew her answer. But she also knew the risks. If she learns the ugly truth, in her good conscience she won’t be able to stay with them. But that would mean leaving a ordered and disciplined life she set for herself and going into unknown territory, for which she wasn’t prepared for. So she answered accordingly.</p><p>“Yes, for the time being, I wish to accept your offer. Although I find it highly improbable that you could change my mind. I believe in Vishkar's ideals. And no secrets exist that  can convince me otherwise. So what secrets would you share with me?”</p><p>Sombra then gave a sly smile as she spoke “All right well do you want the information  now or…..”</p><p>Sombra hasn’t completed her sentence when Satya pulled her towards a large pillar on left side of corridor and pushed her towards the wall. She was dumbstruck behind this bold action as she gazed  Satya’s golden eyes  with a blushing face.</p><p>“What.., what are you doing, exactly?”</p><p>Satya pressed her finger on her lips as she spoke “I saw Sanjay passing through  the empty corridor. So I took the required action. If I get apprehended, then Vishkar will be on to my actions. So deal with me for now.”</p><p>As Satya said this, she placed her lips softly on Sombra’s lips and started kissing her. Sombra was shocked with the development as her eyes widened, but then mellowed out with the sensual way their lips moved. She placed her hands on Satya’s waist as she explored the contours of her body, not being able to place her hands anywhere out of exasperation. The kiss was long, smooth and sensuous and Sombra wasn’t able to break out of the mellowing feeling.</p><p>Sanjay walking down that corridor felt he saw someone familiar. But as he went to check, he found two ladies in a passionate PDA, and walked away uncomfortably as he was sure Satya won’t be involved in any sort of PDA.</p><p>As Satya saw Sanjay walking away from the corridor, she broke from the kiss and looked as Sanjay disappeared into the crowd. Then she faced Sombra, who was shifting her face and she could see her blushing cheeks. Confused, she frowned her eyes until she realized what she has actually done. The heat in her cheeks increased as she placed her hand on her lips thinking about the rash action she just took. Sombra realigned herself as she spoke out.</p><p>“Ahhrr… Wow eres audaz. I certainly wasn’t expecting this.”</p><p>Satya took a step back as she bow down to apologize about her actions.</p><p>“I humbly apologize for what just happened. I am poor at picking social cues and I thought a PDA will not make him focus on us. I am sorry for my behavior.”</p><p>“Hey, I didn’t say it was bad.”</p><p>Satya was confounded by her reply, confused as to whether she was serious or sarcastic. Still she adjusted herself and invited Sombra to come to her room to discuss about the secrets. Sombra graciously accepted her offer as she camouflaged herself and followed Satya discreetly. As Satya bid farewell to Sanjay, she went to her suite in the Golden hotel, closed her doors and rested herself on the chair. As Sombra released her camouflage, she seated herself on the bed and laid herself out.</p><p>“So what this secret you wanted to share?”</p><p>Sombra looked at her, opened up a virtual screen and  sent the info to Satya’s tablet. As she got up the bed, she went close to Satya and whispered in her ear” The secret is behind that screen. If you want to know the truth then use the keyword ‘Arturito’. And if you decide to contact me again, just send a message from your system. Don't worry, my channel is secure.No one will find out. I will be waiting for your answer. Boop.”</p><p>Satya stared towards her balcony as Sombra disappeared from her room. She opened up her tablet and saw a new attachment. Upon opening it, it asked for a password. But Satya could not bring herself to open the attachment. So she put her tablet away and freshened up, rearranging her gown and slept on her bed, dressed in her casuals. She felt too tired and she decided to enjoy one night of peace before her world goes awry.   </p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter edited a bit.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As the fire spread through the favelas near Calado building, Satya made a hard light slide  to go down and stop the fire from spreading more. She immediately reached near the spreading fires , as she constructed hard light footholds, preventing the fire to spread more. As she advanced through the smoldering ruins, she saw a crying mother trying to go into a burning house. Satya reaches near her and creates a pathway to move inside the house. There she saw a familiar face, the little girl who helped her through the crowd earlier that day. She rushes towards her and picks her up to bring her outside.</p><p>But something was wrong. She was not breathing. Satya turned the girl on her back. In horror, she saw her face, burnt. She was not fast enough and the girl paid the price. Satya fell on her knees , devastated, glancing at the dead body. Then she heard a voice as the surroundings became a pitch dark place and flickers of fire approached towards her.</p><p>“It was your fault.”</p><p>Several voices echoed in the eternal dark as she saw burning bodies approaching her, screaming in an agonizing face. The voices got louder, as Satya closed her eyes and ears, her eyes overflowing with tears as she muttered to herself.</p><p>“This isn’t my fault. I am sorry. I am..”</p><p> A burning hand touched her ankle, as Satya jerked back to see the burning body  of the little girl pulling her down into the darkness. Satya screamed with all her might, but her voice was muted by the silence of unending abyss she found herself falling. As she plummeted towards her demise, the only voice she could hear was</p><p>“It was your fault.”</p><p>Satya woke up with a jolt. The nightmare felt too real, as she rubbed her sweating face. She moved out her bed , rearranging the sheets and pillow and moved to her washroom. As she washed her face, she observed herself in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes. It’s been over a week since she was provided the ‘secret’ by Sombra. But she couldn’t bring herself to open it. She was scared she might not be capable of adapting to the impact of learning the truth. So she avoided opening the attachment, as she engrossed herself in the Oasis project, spending long sleepless night to complete the plans. She wanted to finish the project as soon as possible, so she can return to Utopea. She presented her plans to the respective clients, who were impressed and satisfied with the plans as the project was handed over to Vishkar. Today was her last day of project in Oasis, as she prepared her luggage for today’s flight to Utopea. She was resting her head on the couch in her balcony of the suite, pondering over the recent events as her phone chimed with a popping message that her transport arrived. Moving herself from the couch, she decided not to linger anymore on the issue. She would reach Utopea, learn the truth and prepare herself for the consequences. As she checked out of her hotel and boarded the transport waiting for her, she took a last glance at Oasis, a reminder of her stable and systematic life.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>It was evening when Satya reached her apartment in Utopea. As she settled down in her casuals, she removed the tablet from her baggage and sent the attachment directly to her system. She went to her system and sat on the chair, looking at the attachment. The doubt gnawing in her, she closed her palms as she looked down, supporting her head on the hands. Thoughts clouded  her mind “This is it. The final leap. Where it  leads is a mystery. But I have to move forward.”</p><p>Steeling herself, she clicked on the attachment, as it asked for a password. She entered ‘Arturito’.</p><p>Satya’s eyes widened for a moment in shock. What she saw was way worse than imagined. Her hands trembled in terror. The first screen showed Sanjay Korpal shaking hands with a large stature bald man, wearing a huge gauntlet. She recognized the person. It was Akande Ogundimu, aka Doomfist,leader of Talon. As she progressed further through the files, she saw Sanjay sitting with what seemed to be the inner council of Talon’s high ranking members, which somehow had Moira O’Deorain in it.Then there was Rio de Janiero file. Satya was afraid what horror she would find there. But she opened the file anyway.</p><p>Satya ‘s eyes were filled with tears . She, in her heart still believed that she was delusional and Vishkar  still fulfilled the ideals. But all she saw was corruption at unprecedented scale. There were contracts to Talon regarding setting off bombs in Calado building, if Vishkar wasn’t able to coerce Calado by finding dirty corporate secrets. So it was always meant to happen. Vishkar knew Calado didn’t have any dirt on them, so they always meant to resort to these violent means. She being sent into the building that day means if Satya would have been caught, she would have been made the scapegoat behind the explosion as well. Then she looked at the plans for Rio and she was dumbstruck. She felt like she was choking with her entire body shuddering in shame and terror.</p><p>The plans that she designed for that project were never implemented. Rather a different set of plans were used. As she analyzed those new plans, she was horrified. The new plans were somehow turning the favelas into an unconscious prison, where Vishkar can control the people. There were plans for strict enforcement of some type of martial law, where Vishkar gets the role of judge, jury and executioner. She was overwhelmed with disgust as she saw reports of illegal employment from the favelas and  subtle brutality of Vishkar’s enforcers. Satya pulled her knees and buried her head between them as she muttered to herself.</p><p>“All my life, I believed in Vishkar’s vision of creating order amidst chaos. I defended them naively. But this, this is an antithesis to everything Vishkar stood for. Was I always this naïve and hypocritical?”</p><p>Satya raised her head to glance at the horror, unfolded on her screen. She wanted to scream, to cry out loud, to release this anxiety and agony from her heart. But her voice was stuck at her throat, as the visions of the nightmare became more ominous. They were right. It was her fault all along.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Three days have passed since Satya learned the horrors of Vishkar’s hypocrisy. Her cheeks were sunken, her eyes puffed up with dark circles encircling them. She hadn't eaten anything over the past couple of days and hasn't slept over the past few days. Whenever she closed her eyes, she could hear the cries of the people, as fire engulfed their homes. The room seemed to be a mess,in contrast to her nature of keeping things in order. She felt tired and weak, unable to move. All this time, she played her part of an obedient dog, willing to follow their master's orders. Vishkar subtly brainwashed her into thinking that she worked for the greater good. That these  horrible actions she undertook meant that Vishkar's vision will be realized. That Vishkar will bring order to this chaotic world. But all Vishkar ever wanted was coercion and control. Is that their true vision of order? She vehemently believed that Vishkar worked for the greater good, for which any action were acceptable. But it wasn't for greater good. It was just for fulfilling their selfish greed. To control and manipulate. part of her mind was still unwilling to accept all this was real. But it wasn't, was it. She realized it the day the Calado building was destroyed. The day she heard from Sanjay 'That is the price of rebirth'. The price being the lives of innocents she left to die, the lives of screaming civilians searching for their loved ones, the ones caught in the ruins caused by Vishkar's actions. She enacted her role as the unwilling enforcer, the person responsible for these deaths. She shouldn't be forgiven. But perhaps she can absolve herself of her sins. She has to make a stand. She can no longer be the cog in Vishkar's machinations. She looked at the clock as she tried to walk towards the balcony. The evening breeze hit her face as she looked towards the horizon. She was determined now. She has to escape Vishkar’s grasp of control and manipulation. And she needs some help.</p><p>--------------------------------------------</p><p>Sombra was resting on her couch, holding her teddy bear in her hands as she heard a chime. As she woke up she saw a sugar skull prompt on her screen. Her lips curled into a sly smile. ”So she finally decided to contact me. Took her a while.” She opened up the prompt as she saw a message. “I need your help. Please.” Sombra was confused. This was more a plea for help. What  was she supposed to do here? But since she was the one who nudged her on this path, she decided to help her. She prepared her travelling arrangements to visit Utopea.</p><p>Sombra threw her translocator towards Satya’s balcony. She wanted to hack her way through the electronic lock at the window after reaching there but saw that it was open. As she walked in, she could see the lights were off. There was a melancholy in the air, and she felt miserable about it.</p><p>“Sombra, its been a while. You got my message.”</p><p>Sombra’s eyes shot up towards the kitchen, as she saw Satya coming out of her kitchen. When she saw Satya, face, her heart sank. There were puffy black circles encircling them. Her eyes and cheeks were sunken and she could feel the misery in her eyes. Sombra wanted to say something snarky, but she decided to hold her tongue and greeted her.</p><p>“Hola amiga. So what have you decided?”</p><p> Sombra internally wanted to chide herself. Whatever Satya learned had  obviously devastated her, but Somra couldn’t maintain any tact of addressing this situation. She has always been good at exploiting people by threatening them with secrets, but never before has she tried to console someone hurt emotionally. As she was lost in her thoughts, Satya spoke up in a low depressing tone.</p><p>“Yes, I have decided that I will help you. I presume you want the data from the Central Memory banks of VIshkar’s central headquarters in Utopea.”</p><p>Sombra was surprised at her deduction. She knew she was being used but if she is doing her a favor, that means she has to fulfill one favor of hers. As her doubt persisted, Satya did ask for a favor.</p><p>“I will help you get the data. But in return, help me escape the grasp of VIshkar.”</p><p>Sombra could hear the sadness behind Satya’s voice. The times that she met her, she was always calm, composed and cynical. But today she could hear that melancholy in her voice. The help she asked for was genuine and Sombra wondered what help she can give.</p><p>“Amiga, I am willing to help. But why do you want to flee VIshkar?”</p><p>Satya looked at her ,carrying the tray containing cookies. As she walked towards her sofa and placed the tray, she sat down and explained her situation.</p><p>“I have learned too much about Vishkar’s hypocrisy. In my good conscience, I can’t be a part of their atrocities. But escaping Vishkar is not an easy task to accomplish. Please have a seat and have some of these treats.”</p><p> Sombra sat on the sofa and picked up a cookie from the tray. She wanted to eat it when Satya said something that caught her attention.</p><p>“Before Vishkar  plucked me from the streets of Hyderabad, I was an orphan born of omnic crisis. There were many of us, whose parents were killed in the war and we have to survive in dreadful situations. I had problem mingling with everyone, so survival felt even difficult for me. My parents always felt something was odd with me, so they didn’t bother much caring about how I really felt. After I was given a better life in Vishkar, I was trained in bending hard light. I grasped the concepts of light bending in ways unknown and Vishkar put me under a rigorous regime. I was cut off from any outside contact while they trained me in hard light bending. With nothing influencing my thought process, I was convinced that Vishkar stood for creating order and that freedom is a convenient illusion.”</p><p>Sombra couldn’t speak out, as her eyes went down. They weren’t different in their origins. Both were orphans of omnic crisis living a dreadful life. But while Satya was picked up and molded into a convienient tool for exploitation, she grew cynical of people, believing coercion and deception were the only way to survive in the harsh world. For the first time in her life she didn’t want to deceive someone to get what she wanted. She wanted to sincerely help her get away from Vishkar. As she tried to speak out her mind, Satya gave a dreadful explanation.</p><p>“You see, my prosthetic and neural implants. They are what I use to create something out of hard light. But there is a different purpose behind the extensive neural modifications. There are failsafe scenarios behind them.”</p><p> Sombra was shocked. Upon hearing the word ‘failsafe’ behind neural modifications, she already guessed what could be the horrible possibilities.</p><p>“If an agent goes rogue or might possibly spill company secrets, their handler can send a signal to shut of their brain, making them brain dead. If you still have uses but going beyond company’s guidelines, then your brain will be rewired and you will be sent to reeducation, which basically means they will destroy any sense of will and all that is left is a mindless drone. I have heard of few Vishkar’s agents who have gone missing for purposes unknown. But I believe something like this might have happened to them.”</p><p>Satya brought her knees close to her chest, enclosing them with her arms and buried her head between them.</p><p>“That is the reason why I need your help. I want you to create a hack to counteract the signal. We….We need to formulate a plan to complete both our objectives. But even if I escape Vishkar, I don’t know whether I would be given a safe space anywhere. They will hunt me down wherever I go. And even if I try to expose them, they possess too much influence to have any charges alleged against them. So, I am in crossroads as to what I should do next.”</p><p>Sombra finally exasperated a sigh and lifted Satya’s face up. She embraced her as Satya’s eyes widened up. Sombra in an emotional manner, replied to Satya.</p><p>“Animar amiga, I will help you to escape Vishkar. I will stay here with you and we will devise a strategy to get out of this terrible situation. Lo prometo. Besides you should get some sleep. It seems you haven’t slept for days.”</p><p>Satya’ heart was overwhelmed. Sombra’s words didn’t have any hint of sarcasm. These were words filled with kindness. Being in such a desperate situation, Satya found a glimmer of hope in Sombra’s honest words. She couldn’t hold back her emotions, as she buried her head in the nook of Sombra’s shoulder and  cried out cathartically. All those emotions, that she held back for so many months finally erupted and she couldn’t stop crying profusely. Sombra’s eyes were filled with tears, but she held them back, as she rubbed Satya’s back gently till she cried her heart out.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some editing in this chapter as well.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Satya was sleeping peacefully in her bed. For the first time in many days, she slept without the burden of her actions hampering her. When she poured out the emotional baggage that she held onto for so many days, she felt light. As she was sleeping on her bed, Sombra caressed her face and head while murmuring a lullaby in her language. She smiled when she felt Satya has gone into a deep sleep. Looking at her face intimately, Sombra felt a sense of camaraderie. She proceeded forward to kiss, her lips almost touching her temple, when she halted and pulled back, She slowly removed herself from the bed and moved towards the balcony as she wrapped her body with her hands thinking to herself.</p><p>“Que estabas hacienda, tonta? You shouldn’t get too emotionally invested in her. You can’t bring people into your life. You gave up your identity. You gave up your previous life to reach where you are today. You committed heinous acts, killed innocents. You have manipulated powerful people to find that entity. Everyone is after your head. Even when you think you are safe, they find you. Your life is a maze of a hunter and a prey. If they even perceive you are close to somebody, they will use them to get to you. You have come too far. There is no turning back. You have a mission. You have sacrificed too much to reach at this point. All you have ever learned was to blackmail and manipulate people. That is your way and you shouldn't be sorry about it. That's how you survived. You are a survivor and you must be willing to dirty your hands in whatever manner possible, so that you can finally reach them and expose their conspiracy. But is it wishful to be close to someone? To have trustworthy people around you? Is it wishful to have a life, where you won't have to look behind for a dagger in the back?”</p><p> Engrossed in her thoughts, Sombra sat down on a chair lying beside her, closing her eyes. She looked upon the stars in the sky as a warm feeling enveloped her body. It has been long since she felt any sort of closeness,trust towards someone. She has manipulated powerful people, used any dirty methods to get the information that puts her at an advantage. But she knows that it can’t be nothing more than that. She has to suppress these feelings. She has to walk a lonely path and she doesn’t want anyone to follow her on this dark path.  She doesn't want them to get to her through those she is closed to. She is a manipulative person, willing to use anyone to fulfill her mission.And she is fine with that. That's how she had survived . But she dreamt of being close to someone, to trust someone with all their heart. But perhaps her life won't permit it. Quashing these emotions, Sombra prepared herself for what strategy they will devise for this situation.</p><p>------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Satya woke up in morning, after having a full night of sleep which had been rare these past few weeks. As she woke up, she sniffed a fragrance of eggs and sausage cooked with her assortment of spices. She wondered who was cooking when she heard a shout out.</p><p>“Buenos dias amiga. I have made some breakfast burritos. Why don’t you get refreshed, then we can start planning our next move.”</p><p>Satya wondered, putting her face onto her palm as to what mess she might have done. But recognizing the nice gesture she was presenting, Satya agreed to properly freshen up, her face curling into a happy smile.</p><p> As Satya refreshed herself and went to her dining room, Sombra was waiting for her with a tray and full of hot, piping burritos, which smelled really good. Before moving to the room, she decide to take a peek inside kitchen to assess the situation. Many of her neatly arranged containers were removed and not restored in their places. In her eyes the whole scenario was chaotic and she was a little bit irked by it. But she decide to arrange everything properly after responding fairly to the gesture shown by Sombra.</p><p>When Satya moved towards her dining table, Sombra was busy gobbling on some burritos, not noticing her until she got close. As Satya sat near her, she looked at her with a filled mouth, as she replied.</p><p>“Amiga, where were you? These burritos would get cold.”</p><p> Satya looked at her with disapproving look, as Sombra spit bits and pieces of her breakfast on the table while trying to talk. Looking at Satya , she gulped down the burrito and responded</p><p>”Lo siento.”</p><p>Satya took a plate and placed a burrito in it. As she took the burrito in right hand with her pinkies raised while holding the plate in left below her chin to prevent any bit to fall down, she asked Sombra.</p><p>“So, what are we planning today?”</p><p>Sombra, glancing at Satya, pulled herself out of the chair and walked across  the room with her back to Satya, as she wavered to reply.</p><p>“Satya, before we start our planning. I wish to say something.”</p><p> Satya stopped herself from taking a bite, as she was disturbed by the ominous overtones of her voice. She put her plate down as she spoke “Okay, what are you trying to convey?”</p><p>Sombra turned around and looked at Satya, hesitating to reply.</p><p>“I work with Talon. Well not exactly, lets just say I have my own agenda. I have been using Talon for my own interest. What I am doing now is not for any altruistic reasons. It's simply a personal vendetta.”</p><p>Satya was dumbfounded. She crossed her legs and sat straight as Sombra continued.</p><p>“That’s how I was able to learn about Vishkar’s connection to Talon. See Satya, what I am doing now is out of my own personal interest. If I ever get caught by Talon for this offence, it would mean a death sentence for me. Talon has a very mutual relation with Vishkar, with Sanjay Korpal leading the association as he holds a position in Talon’s inner council. So as you showed concern earlier, you actually can’t go to any federal organization with the knowledge you have. But there is one organization who might be able to help you if you provide them the necessary information.”</p><p>Satya was a bit shuddered with the corresponding response. Sombra working with Talon, that information scared her. But she quickly regained her composure as she replied.</p><p>“So why did you contact me?”</p><p>Sombra took a deep breath as she folded her hands and lied against a wall.</p><p>“I have been tracking down the corporations, who might have a hand in controlling the world from shadows and I am trying to expose them. I wanted to do the same thing with Vishkar that I did with LumeriCo. But Vishkar is tightly associated with Talon, so I can’t directly expose them. That’s why I involved you. I deduced that someone like you, who is unfettered by corruption of Vishkar and rather work for them because of your ideals, would be a perfect candidate to help me out. Also because I had dirt against you to use. So I apologize for nudging you down this dangerous path.”</p><p> Satya processed the response. So she was selected because she, unburdened by Vishkar’s corruption, might have helped Sombra in her mission. She was not wrong, completely. If someone have told her the truth before the Calado incident, she would have considered it garbage and ignored it. But a lot has changed since then. Now she truly saw the monster Vishkar was, and she was willing to fight for her conviction, even if it meant she might die. Satya could see the indecision in Sombra’s eyes, she decide to answer clearing her doubts.</p><p>“Okay. So why are you so stiff? You presumed I would be disappointed. Perhaps I might have been, but it’s not like I haven’t done some shady things while believing in my ideals, believing that these were necessary actions to make the world a better place. But they weren’t. Perhaps I didn’t want a drastic change in my life. Ignorance is a bliss. As long as I was ignoring the wrongdoings of Vishkar, I could still believe that my ideals of shaping order from chaos were true. So me blaming you for your shadiness is hypocritical of me. So no need to be tensed. Come, sit down and have some breakfast. Then we can plan our strategy.”</p><p>Sombra face lit up upon hearing Satya’s reply. Feeling cheerful, she went and sat down in the chair when Satya enquired about the last thing she said.</p><p>“What about this organisation that can keep me safe?”</p><p> Sombra looked at her while stuffing her mouth with another burrito. As she motioned her to wait while she turned her face and ate the burrito, Satya watched intensely with furrowed eyes, waiting for her reply.</p><p>“Its Overwatch.”</p><p>“Wait what. The disgraced UN peace keeping organization.”</p><p>Satya was confused. Isn’t Overwatch illegal? How can they protect her if she defects from Vishkar? So many questions came to her mind. Sombra looking at her confused face,replied thoughtfully.</p><p>“Si, they are illegal but they will be able to protect once you provide the information about Vishkar’s connection to Talon and you are willing to help them. Beside their speedy response in dealing with Null Sector’s attack on Paris have earned good reputation for them. But UN isn’t quite happy with this action. They won’t take any action directly now but will subtly deal with this situation. So they can help you out.”</p><p>Satya pondered over this for a while. If she needed help to fight against Vishkar, she would need a powerful ally. And Overwatch would be the perfect match for that. Since she can provide them information regarding Talon, they might be willing to negotiate. Considering the advantages, she decided to contact them. Satya weaved her hands as she constructed a communication device and put a series of numbers-7654219, the Overwatch contact to common public for any disastrous situations.</p><p>”Okay here goes nothing Let us hope they receive the call.”</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------</p><p>(Watchpoint Gibraltar)</p><p>Lena Oxton was sitting infront of the large screen, analyzing the null sector reports popping up all over the world. She was finding clues as to where they would strike next. Lena was feeling tired, as Winston was now stuck in a meeting with UN officials, who were debating Overwatch’s supposed illegal action in disobeying Petras Act and intervening in French soil without permission. “Politicians never change. They would sit their asses and discuss their actions when the world burns and innocent dies. And yet have the audacity of calling us, who acted as the first responders and mitigated the situation as criminals” The thoughts came to her mind, as she tried to lay down on the chair. As her eyes slightly drifted into sleep, her communication device sprang up, which startled Lena as she fumbled to pick up the call. It was from her girlfriend Emily.</p><p>“Hey Em.”</p><p>“Lena, still busy I presume.”</p><p>“Yes love.  I am going through the reports as to find out Null Sector next target. I think this might aggravate into a worse situation. “</p><p>“Yeah, and the media have already started demoting actions of Overwatch to prevent the situation In Paris and calling you guys as criminals. What long pointless discussions these guys are having when the real focus should be on something else.”</p><p>“I haven’t seen the news yet, darling. I am pretty sure they will be demonizing us. ‘Overwatch, Saviors or Lawbreakers’ the title would be something ridiculous like that. Huh the media and their horrifying news.”</p><p>“You are doing fine, Lena. You don’t have to bow down to these hooligans. They don’t know the suffering of common populace when these kind of scenarios happen.”</p><p>Emily’s voice got a little hoarse, as she seemed downhearted. Lena, recognizing the shift of her tone understood what she wanted to say.</p><p>“Emily, you don’t have to remind yourself of that day. I was there with you, remember.”</p><p>“You being there was a matter of luck for me, Lena. But how many innocent lives, human and omnics alike, were lost over the entire time Kings’ Row was under siege. And what was our  prime minister doing? Sitting with a thumb up his ass. If Overwatch hadn’t intervened and quelled the situation, who knows what might have happened.”</p><p>Emily’s voice got sadder, as she started sobbing. Hearing her sobbing noise, Lena could feel tears welling up her eyes, but controlling her tears, she spoke lovingly.</p><p>“But Emily, there was silver lining to that incident. I met with you and fell in love, and eight years later we are still together through all our sufferings. Isn’t it right, love?”</p><p>Emily chuckled a laugh as her tone became more cheerful.</p><p>“You always were a charmer, Lena. Look at me, I was feeling a bit depressed, and now you made me smile.”</p><p>“That’s how I dazzled the beauty known as Emily and she too fell in love with my witty and charming personality. I am glad you are feeling jolly Em.”</p><p>“Yeah. Well I am going to sleep. You should go to bed too. Otherwise you would be tripping everywhere next day, trying to take a nap. Good night, love. I miss you.”</p><p>“Good night, Emily. I miss you too.”</p><p>Lena closed her communication device, with a smile on her lips.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------</p><p> Genji was lying on the table of a medical scanning device, with a scanner going back and forth over his body. He stayed still so that a proper diagnosis of his cybernetic augmentations could be done. Beside him, Dr. Angela Ziegler was looking at the screens as the device was producing results about the condition of Genji’s cybernetic modifications. The reports indicated that Genji’s modifications were in very suitable condition and Angela’s lips curled into a satisfactory smile, as the machine stopped with a vocal alert “Scan complete.”</p><p>Genji sat up on the table, while Angela moved to him as they started a conversation.</p><p>“So all your cybernetic modifications are working properly. I want to say that you are doing well Genji.”</p><p>The vision receptors of Genji’s helmet flickered, indicating Genji’s pleasure upon hearing those words. He replied in a whole hearted manner.</p><p>“I am a different man now Angela. I feel whole. I am finally satisfied with the duality of my existence and I am no longer ashamed of my cybernetic augmentation.”</p><p>Angela, upon hearing Genji’s voice, moved closer to him. As she tried to remove his helmet, she asked Genji.</p><p>“May I?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>Genji replied with a satisfaction, as Angela removed his helmet and looked upon his face. The facial scars had healed beautifully. Some were still there but they were not prominent like before.</p><p>“Your scars have healed beautifully. I suppose the peaceful environment of Nepal and guidance of Shambali monks really helped in soothing the agony of your mind.” Angela moved two of her fingers across the scarred portion and settled her fingers on his jaws.</p><p>“You have Master Tekhartha Zenyatta to thank for that. Because of his guidance, I was finally able to move forward from my past and able to accept my body without any fear or hatred.”</p><p>Angela was happy. For all the time, they spent together Genji seemed happy to spend time with her and they even spent many cheerful moments with each other, along with some intimate moments. But all that time, Genji was gloomy with himself. He felt unsatisfied and agonized. But seeing him happy and in peace with himself, Angela felt a sigh of relief. Running her fingers along his jaws, she felt a desire building within her, as she proceeded to press her lips on Genji’s. Genji closed his eyes and kept his hand on Angela’s waist, as he relaxed into the passionate kiss. Both of them relished this moment to fullest, as Angela wound her arms around his neck and sucked on his lips. There were lost in a sea of desire and love, as Genji wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up and sucking on her lips. They were wrapped around each other for few minutes as Angela broke the kiss and opened her eyes to gaze into Genji’s.</p><p>“I missed you so much Genji.”</p><p>“I missed you too, Angela and I am sorry about leaving you without saying goodbye.”</p><p> “I understand. Beside we are here now aren’t we.”</p><p>Angela wrapped her arms around Genji and he pulled her into a warm embrace. They have missed each other’s company for so long, that they didn’t leave each other’s embrace for some time.</p><p>Both broke themselves out of the embrace as they looked at each other with glistening eyes and joyful smiles. Angela sat near Genji and asked him about his brother.</p><p>“So how did your reunion with your brother go?”</p><p>“Well we fought.”</p><p>“Say what.” Angela was confused for a minute when Genji gave a chuckle and replied.</p><p>“Well we fought as he thought I was an assassin sent by Shimada clan to kill him. When our fight came to end, I used my dragon to counter his and then he was surprised. As I moved forward to kill him, he dropped his weapon and taunted me to finish his life. But when I spared him and called him brother, he was dumbfounded. He enquired about what I have  become and I told him that I am at peace with myself and have forgiven him. I gave him a choice to pick a side. But honestly I felt pity for him For all these years he had been in misery and agony for carrying the burden and snuck into our house to pay respect at  the very place he murdered me and in front of the  broken katana he used. All I felt from him was sorrow. I guess we brothers are too broken to be put back together, but I want him to realize inner peace and harmony just like I did. And perhaps welcome him to my life. He is my only family of blood left.”</p><p>Angela looked at Genji as he narrated the anecdote, then placed her head on his shoulder.</p><p>“You know, I am glad you resolved your issue with your brother. But I don’t think I will ever be able to forgive him for what he did.”</p><p>“Heh heh…. Well he has to beg for your forgiveness, should the time come.”</p><p>Angela looked at Genji and smiled, hearing his genuine laugh. They both stood up as they decided to go the control room to see the situation with the UN meeting.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------</p><p>  Brigitte and Reinhardt were in the workshop, where Brigitte was maintaining their armor. Their shields were a bit overloaded taking the plasma beam from the Titan omnic for a prolonged time. As they conversed with each other for a  while, they were greeted by Mei, who wanted to ask something of Brigitte.</p><p>“Hey everyone.”</p><p>“Hey Mei.”</p><p>“Hello my lady. Do you require some sort of assistance?”</p><p>Mei was a bit surprised by Reinhardt chivalrous reply, but received the compliment fairly as she responded.</p><p>“Hey Brigitte, I need your help in increasing the efficiency of my endothermic blaster. If its possible, can you take a look at it?”</p><p>Brigitte complied with the request, as he took the weapon in her hand. Inspecting the weapon, she admired the simple, elegant yet brilliant design of this cryo freeze weapon.</p><p>“This is a quite a unique weapon. You created it by yourself.”</p><p>Yes. I am quite proud of this creation. I built the first prototype from normal household materials. This second design is an improvement but I want to increase the freezing capabilities of the weapon.”</p><p>Brigitte was impressed with the weapon. She decided to inspect and do the necessary modifications. As she turned towards her workshop area, Reinhardt asked Mei a question.</p><p>“So, Mei what were you doing before answering the recall?”</p><p>Mei’s eyes suddenly went down. Grief washed over her face as she closed her eyes. Reinhardt could feel the melancholy that emerged from her. He regretted his decision of asking the question as he apologized.</p><p>“I apologize for my rudeness, my lady. I didn’t intend to cause any distress.”</p><p>Mei looked at Reinhardt, then washed the tears of her face as she replied.</p><p>“Its okay. It was difficult at first. But now I am able to cope with it better, as I am not being alone.”</p><p>Mei took a deep breath as she answered Reinhardt’s question, which even made Brigitte to turn and look at her.</p><p>“I was a scientist at Antarctica ecopoint. With a team of scientists, we were experimenting the effects of long term cryogenic freezing. We decide to use ourselves as test subjects so about 10 years ago, we all went into cryostasis. Unfortunately…..”</p><p>Brigitte and Reinhardt could feel the gloom in Mei’s words. Reinhardt severely chided himself for asking such a painful memory.</p><p>“The ecopoint was hit by an ice storm. We lost all communications with Overwatch and no one ever came to check what happened here. Then Overwatch fell and the ecopoint was completely forgotten. I woke up about a year earlier and by that time I was in cryostasis for about 9 years. And I was the only survivor. The….The others didn’t make it.”</p><p>Mei’s eyes were filled with tears. Reinhardt and Brigitte stood in a shock. ”Nine years. For nine years they were abandoned and only she survived. What kind of horrible nightmare is this?” Reinhardt mind were filled with these thoughts. He immediately responded to Mei.</p><p>“I am extremely sorry, my lady. I didn’t want to remind you of this tragic incident that befell you because of the inaction of previous Overwatch. Being stuck in bureaucratic nightmares, Overwatch lost its purpose despite the best efforts of exceptional individuals working for betterment of humanity.”</p><p>“It’s okay. The memories are painful but it helps to share it and vent out some anxiety.”</p><p>Brigitte proceeded and embraced Mei with a radiant warmth. She released Mei from her embrace and replied.</p><p>“We will always try to help you in any matter you wish. You can talk with us anytime about anything. We will always be with you.”</p><p>“Of course my lady. Consider Overwatch your family. No matter what hurdles come in your life now, we will help you face it.”</p><p>Mei’s face was filled with joy from this encouraging response. She wiped the tears off and put on a beautiful cheery smile, when Athena alerted them that the meeting with UN is over. All of them decided to leave the workshop as they moved towards the control room.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------</p><p>Sojourn and Winston waited alongside Lena and Echo as everyone assembled in the control room to discuss the results of the UN meeting.</p><p>“So I presume those cowards were venting because we stopped the attack and broke their precious restriction that they imposed on us.”</p><p>Reinhardt spoke out with a disgust. Sojourn placed her palm on her head as what Reinhardt said was absolutely correct.</p><p>“Yup, same old crap. They were ‘dissatisfied’ so to speak, that we didn’t take permission from either UN or French Government to intervene in this escalating situation and disobeyed their precious ‘Petras Act’. When Winston presented his reports and analysis on degrading human-omnics situations throughout the world, they played it off as one time situation and that Null Sector doesn’t possess a threat to the world. That our rationalized fear of a global invasion is baseless.”</p><p>Lena huffed a sigh a disgust. ”Typical politicians. All they know is sit upon their asses and throw judgment. They don’t have any idea of the sufferings these incidents cause.”</p><p>Angela was also disgusted with the response of UN.” Do these people realize that if we hadn’t intervened as first responders, the situation would get worse. There would have been unprecedented damage to lives of humans and omnics alive.”</p><p> Everyone heaved a sigh of disappointment. Winston, then interjected into the gloomy atmosphere.</p><p>“Arghh…. Anyways they said that they will give Overwatch three more months to see if this situation escalates. If as  predicted, that it becomes a  global invasion, then Overwatch will be allowed to operate otherwise all the members who responded to recall  will be arrested.”</p><p>“Well that’s at least a bit of good news. I think it’s pretty sure Null Sector is definitely going to attack another important metropolis soon. They mean it this time. With the ever increasing human-omnic conflicts, it’s quite a ripe time for them to take advantage of this degrading situation.”Genji replied as everyone agreed to his statement. They decided to leave for their room when the screen in front of Lena lit up. There was an incoming call on a long forgotten channel, the Overwatch public distress signal. Everyone was stupefied of this unusual occurrence, as Winston asked Lena to receive the call.</p><p>“Hello is this channel working? Hmm anyways if you are hearing this then I am in dire need of help. I am Satya Vaswani, a hardlight architech working for Vishkar. I have confirmation on Vishkar’s relations with Talon. But this secret makes me a target. I want to expose Vishkar’s corruption but I need a powerful ally and protection from Vishkar’s forces. I can’t go with the proof to any normal government agencies as Vishkar has too much pull. So if possible I need refuge with Overwatch, as this is the only organization who can protect me. If you decide to respond I am sending my signal frequency  so that you can track me in Utopea. I am infiltrating Vishkar’s headquarters to steal information tomorrow so if possible, please respond asap and save me.”</p><p>Everyone in the room was flabbergasted with the call they received. Sojourn broke the unusual silence that was hovering in the room.</p><p>“Well I will be damned, Vishkar Corporation has relations with Talon. This is damn good clue. But can we trust this person?”</p><p>Lena spoke next. "I know this lady. Emily is a big fan of her architectural works. And she has been featured in many magazines where they advertise Vishkar.”</p><p>Angela intervened. “I have read about her as well. She is the most brilliant hard light architech of Vishkar. If she is contacting us out of fear for her life, then she must have known something dangerous that threatens Vishkar. We may have to respond to the call.”</p><p>Sojourn then replied “How can you be sure this is real? What if this a trap?”</p><p>“I don’t think it is a trap Sojourn. I think this lady is actually telling the truth. We must help her. And if she  has information about Talon, then  we should take a chance.”</p><p>Sojourn listened carefully to Lena’s answer as she put her hands on her waist.” Okay we will rescue this person. Tracer, Mercy and Genji, you are on this mission. Please bring back the asset safe and sound.”</p><p>Lena, Angela and Genji responded to the orders as they prepared their equipment and boarded themselves on the Aurora. Lena took the pilot  seat, as Genji and  Angela took their respective seats in the Aurora.</p><p>“Attention, this is your captain speaking. We are now departing for Utopea for a rescue operation. We will reach Indian airspace by tomorrow, so set yourself for a long ride.”</p><p>As the announcement came from Lena, the Aurora's engine was set in motion and departed for its destination to the location of the person in interest.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well this chapter was a bit longer as it finally dealt with the first appearance of other members of this fan fiction.Next chapter will be  dealing with the required escape and rescue. I will try to  upload new chapters about twice per week. Please give your reviews so that I can modify the writing style a bit better.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Satya ended her call with Overwatch. She looked at her holographic interface , hoping that her message has somehow reached them. Putting down her communication device, she walked from her balcony towards her bedroom where Sombra has opened up a holographic monitor, scanning through the schematics of Vishkar’s headquarters in Utopea. Sombra being concentrated on the screens, didn’t hear the footsteps when Satya walked in.</p><p>“Hey Sombra.”</p><p>Sombra was a bit startled. As she composed herself, she looked at Satya walking towards her when she spoke.</p><p>“So did they receive the call?”</p><p>“I hope so. So are you getting acquainted with the schematics?”</p><p>“Si. These are pretty detailed. Usually when I have to infiltrate some highly secured facility, I had to scratch my head as to understand the entire architecture to find points of entry and exit. But the way the intricacies of these schematics are designed, I don’t have to worry about all the details.”</p><p>Sombra spread the screen into a 3d hologram, as Satya took a seat near her. As she leaned towards the hologram and close to Sombra, Sombra jolted her body in surprise, which Satya didn’t observe. She then regained her composure as she expressed her views.</p><p>“So amiga, how were you able to access these detailed schematics?”</p><p>“I didn’t. I was provided with these when I was given my first project. It was to design specifically the data center of Utopea, where they can store the information from everywhere around the world. They were willing to provide me with all sorts of assistance as long as I pursued their interests. And since they were extremely impressed with my first assignment, many of the Utopea’s projects were handled by me. So I always had the updated architectural schematics with me.”</p><p>Satya then pointed at a particular section of the hologram and then expanded that section, which read as “Memory Banks”.</p><p>“This is our point of interest. Where the central data banks are located. This area is heavily fortified, more so than other structures in Utopea. There are security cameras, hard light turrets, photon sensors all around the perimeter of this area. This is one of the most advanced securities currently in place.”</p><p>Sombra gave a smug laugh, as she stated facts.</p><p>“Pfft. Volskaya Industries also boasted of an advanced security and I slipped through their firewalls effortlessly. I doubt this will be any different.”</p><p>Satya looked at her with a sardonic smile and exhaled a disappointing sigh.</p><p>“If its that easy, then lets try an experiment. I am putting a set of sensors within this pathway. You try to move through it unnoticed.”</p><p>Sombra looked at Satya with a cynical eyes and moved towards the entrance, waiting to prove her point.</p><p>“Bien amiga.Lets do this.”</p><p>Satya glanced at Sombra with a sly smile, as she created a hard light spherical object, which looked like a sensor and placed it across the pathway and up top. Then she asked Sombra to proceed through the pathway.</p><p>“Please, go ahead.”</p><p>Sombra, glancing at Satya with smug smirk, proceeded to turn invisible and walk through the pathway. Confident that her stealth tech will bypass the security, she started moving across the pathway when her stealth was disabled.</p><p>Sombra was surprised. What just happened ? Somehow her stealth suit was deactivated. She tried again and the results were same. Satya crossed her legs and brought the backside of her right hand, while giving a sarcastic smile.</p><p>“Que paso? I am confused.”</p><p>Satya then rose from her place and explained the situation.</p><p>“That my dear, is a spectrum disabler. You know that Vishkar works with hard light. It doesn’t mean that we work only with visible spectrum. We can create hard light structures from light beyond the spectrum as well. This particular sensor is able to determine any spectrum an object is in and readjust the frequency to bring it within visible spectrum. Your Stealth suit works by deflecting all visible spectrum, thus allowing you to access infrared or ultra violet frequencies. This sensor can determine that and adjust the frequency of your suit to reflect visible light, turning you visible. I designed this and it was installed in all Vishkar installations.”</p><p>Sombra stared at the smug face made by Satya, then finally raised her hands and hacked the sensors.</p><p>“Fine I can hack them and then I can’t be detected.”</p><p>Sombra hacked the sensors and started moving, but she was still detected as her stealth suit became visible.</p><p>“Que mierda. I hacked them all right.”</p><p>“Did you think I will place the sensors that are visible to you?”</p><p>Sombra glanced at the direction Satya pointed at, as she saw a beam of light pointed towards her suit from top, but it seemed like there was nothing there.</p><p>“I placed an ultra violet hard light sensor at two places. They can’t be seen with your eyes. And most optical cybernetics aren’t equipped with ultra violet vision. So checkmate.”</p><p>Sombra finally gave up as she went and sat near Satya and with a disappointed face replied.</p><p>“Bien, tu ganas. So what should we do?”</p><p>Satya finally explained her plan to Sombra.</p><p>“I will be the infiltrator. I have top level access to all areas of Utopea including the memory banks.”</p><p>Sombra then stared at her with a quizzical face.</p><p>“Then why were you doing this? It seemed to me that we both will be infiltrating the facility.”</p><p>“Oh this. It was for my amusement.”</p><p>Sombra glimpsed at Satya’s amused face with sarcasm etched on her face. Satya stopped laughing and then explained.</p><p>“Hey, you are not the only one who can have amusement. Besides I don’t want you to get caught in this mess.”</p><p> Satya’s face was finally grave as she stated some facts.</p><p>“Since Vishkar is connected to Talon, if by any means you are even remotely detected entering Utopea, it would mean trouble for you. I understand that you are on a dangerous mission and you want to use any means necessary to complete it. If by any chance it is determined that you are helping me escape, your life is at risk. So I will be infiltrating the facilities while you will be remotely accessing my prosthetic arm to hack into the systems I will point out. This way you can safely proceed.”</p><p>Sombra exasperated a sigh of relief. Her reasoning was correct. She presumed she was discreet during the Volskaya incident, but somehow Katya Volskaya and Aleksandra Zaryanova were able to determine her true name. She even felt that Reaper is suspicious of what happened in Volskaya industries. She shouldn’t be too cocky, if she has to succeed in her mission. She had sacrificed every ounce of her life, running away and chasing this one target and she can’t make unnecessary mistakes to jeopardize it.</p><p>“Okay. Then let’s follow with your plan.”</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Sombra was sleeping on the couch. It’s been a while since she let her guard down and slept peacefully without being cautious. Satya, being a courteous host, has provided her with a comfortable blanket and pillow so that she can have a pleasant sleep. They had slept late into the night after completing their planning, and Sombra wanted to sleep longer when she was woken by the smell of freshly baked enchiladas. She woke up, rubbing her eyes to see Satya formally dressed in her Vishkar uniform with her visor and she took a moment to compose herself, unable to take her eyes of. Satya then glanced towards hastily awakened Sombra as she wrapped her arms and responded.</p><p>“Good morning Sombra. Had a nice rest. Freshen up and have some breakfast.”</p><p> Sombra rubbed her eyes and then moved out of her blanket swiftly towards the washroom where Satya has kept a fresh pair of washroom equipment for her to use. She refreshed herself and left the washroom to find Satya arranging her sleeping items and dusting off the couch. As she moved towards the table, Satya created two chairs out of hard light for sitting. Both of them proceeded to eat their breakfast. Sombra relished the enchiladas prepared by Satya, as she could taste the amazing sauce and cheese flavor.</p><p>“Would you like some coffee? I also have made some hot chocolate if you wish for it.”</p><p>“Hot chocolate it is.”</p><p>As they both consumed their breakfast, Satya passed a small device constructed out of hard light.</p><p>“Take this communication device. It will also help you locate my position on the holographic map and give you any audio or video feed of anything I see in my visor.”</p><p>Sombra took the device and placed it in her ear, as she got a feed from Satya’s visor. As she changed her focus towards the food, she saw Satya gazing at her apartment.</p><p>“Que paso, amiga?”</p><p>Satya’s focus was broken away from her apartment as she startled by Sombra’s voice. She glanced at her and then downwards and then looking into her eyes, she replied.</p><p>“This might be the last time I am looking at my apartment. It is a reminder of my life with Vishkar. I don’t know whether I will survive today’s confrontation. So I am taking one last glance at this life.”</p><p>Sombra then paused from her food as she placed her hands on Satya’s shoulders and tried to relay her fears.</p><p>“Relajate, nothing bad is going to happen to you. I promised I will help you escape this scenario. Cumplo mi promesa.”</p><p>Satya then moved her hands towards Sombra holding it gently, placing their wrapped hands on the table.</p><p>“Thanks for revealing the truth and showing me a better way. It’s better to die learning the truth than living a lie. Let us complete this mission effectively. ”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Satya and Sombra travelled in Satya’s hovercar towards the destination. Their plan was ready and the time of execution has finally arrived. Satya was driving the hovercar while Sombra was looking out of the windows, staring at the bustling people of Utopea around the ever changing city’s infrastructure. The pathways and living structures altered and adjusted according to the populace’s needs. Sombra was impressed with the dynamic landscape, the people here reminding of her time in Dorado. But deep down she could realize the lie they lived, convincing themselves that they are living in a better world while being under diminutive control and manipulation of corporate greed. And the city was white and way too bright.</p><p>“Uuh. Why is your city so white?”</p><p>Satya put the vehicle in autodrive and answered.</p><p>“It’s Vishkar’s palette. Everything that is constructed here has hues of pure white or blue. These are considered as gentler to the eyes.”</p><p>“Yeah but it makes the city look so boring. It seems like a fancy glass prison, where the populace just has to obey Vishkar or suffer consequences.”</p><p>Satya rested her head on the seat and pondered over the thought. Maybe Utopea is a prison. Perhaps this thought never crossed her mind, as she found the order and harmony of the place quite satisfactory. This is the exact model being used for Rio as well. Maybe the Indian populace accepted this transition due to being in such desperate situation. However, the people of Rio weren’t accepting of this forced submission. Things look a lot different when seen from the view of accuser. Or perhaps she was subtly brainwashed to imagine this place as paradise, a glowing symbol of order and harmony, conquering chaos and disorder. She was concerned as to how she will live her life moving forward, if she survives this confrontation. As her mind wandered towards these thoughts, the car reached their destination.</p><p>“Okay we are here. Sombra you can get over that building, 11<sup>th</sup> floor room no. 1102. I booked a room there. From the windows, you can get a clear view of Vishkar Headquarters. And remotely control my prosthetic if need arises. Let’s proceed with our plan. ”</p><p>“As you say amiga.”</p><p>Satya and Sombra reached near the building , when Sombra camouflaged herself and followed Satya into the hotel. Satya took her luggage and proceeded towards the reception counter. The lady sitting on the counter rose when she saw Satya and responded immediately.</p><p>“Good morning. May I take your reservation?”</p><p>“Yes. One room for Satya Vaswani. 11<sup>th</sup> floor room no. 1102.”</p><p> Satya created a holographic screen, depicting the registration details and forwarded it to the receptionist. The receptionist in turn confirmed the booking details and then indicated that her booking has been confirmed and gave her the passcode.</p><p>“That’s your passcode, Ma’am. Is there anyone else with you?”</p><p>“No, I am alone.”</p><p>“Okay, well enjoy your visit.”</p><p>Sombra, still camouflaged, giggled a little. As Satya moved towards the express elevator, she mentioned about the conversation.</p><p>“Santa mierda. You can lie so gracefully without being sarcastic but being malicious.”</p><p>Satya was confounded at this observation. She replied in an anxious manner.</p><p>“I did not show any malicious intent.”</p><p>“No amiga, but she was definitely intimidated when you answered ‘No, I am alone.’ in such an alarming way that she proceeded to not ask any questions. It was hilarious to see.”</p><p>“I do not come across as intimidating when normally talking.”</p><p>“No but you definitely come across as mortifying. Last night when you were giving me that lecture about those sensors, I was definitely feeling shameful. It felt I was getting lectured by my teacher regarding my failures. That lady must be feeling as if she did something embarrassing and was being low key ridiculed.”</p><p>Satya’s face was grave. She did not realize that she came across as harsh and impudent in her conversations. She huffed in a disapproving manner and countered Sombra’s assessment.</p><p>“Hmm, well I didn’t mean anything by it. If others were humiliated because of it. I can’t babysit their emotions.”</p><p>“Haaa.. ha aha ha. No seas tan seria. It feels hilarious to see people getting flustered with embarrassment when they seem to get chided by you.”</p><p>Their conversation continued for a while as the elevator reached their floor. The duo entered their assigned room to finally execute their plans. Satya went towards the window and invited Sombra.</p><p>“Come on. You can see the entire structure from here. Can you hack any of the cameras to see the security strength today?”</p><p>Sombra moved towards her and opened up a holographic interface. As she worked her way through hacking the system cameras, Satya rested for a while. She opened her suitcase containing her photon projector, took it in her hands and set the device for non lethal encounters. Meanwhile Sombra infiltrated the security system and spread a 3d hologram of the entire building.</p><p>“Eso es todo. The whole structure. Their seems to be lot of security guards. But they are not concentrated in one areas. But the memory banks here are heavily guarded. Sus esquemas fueron precisos. This might be easier than I thought.”</p><p>Satya gazed at her with satirical face saying “Don’t jinx it. Anyway you can start calibrating my prosthetic arm to your frequency so you can hack it when the time comes. And connect to the feed from my visor. I will tell you what you need to hack remotely so please concentrate. And when I finally access the database, make sure you download the data to secure location and send a copy to me.”</p><p>Sombra yawned while Satya gave the set of instructions. They discussed it quite thoroughly yesterday but as she can tell, Satya really is obsessed with perfection. But she knew her role well and decided to perform it per requirement. Then a thought came to her mind and she interrupted Satya.</p><p>“Espere. What about your exit plan?”</p><p>Satya looked at her with quizzical eyes as she replied “I will have a teleporter open at my location towards the 4<sup>th</sup> avenue abandoned street. If anything happens I will try to teleport to that location. I hope Overwatch has received my message. I might need an extraction. But as soon as the data transfer is complete, you need to leave Utopea immediately. I don’t want your position in Talon to be compromised irrevocably. So if we stick to our plan, we both will achieve our goals.”</p><p> As Satya completed her statement, Sombra has calibrated her prosthetic arm to her cybernetic implants so that she can remotely hack any terminals and in the worst case scenario, disrupt the mind control signal.</p><p>“Well if the plan goes awry, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Lo digo en serio.”</p><p>“I will. Good luck Sombra.”</p><p>Satya exited the room and Sombra brought her mind to focus on task at hand. They have to execute the plan flawlessly to get out of there alive. Besides, Satya crafted the plan to put more risk on her. So she needs to pull her weight and do a bit extra to extract her safely from the situation.</p><p> </p><p>Satya reached the headquarters in her hovercar. She pulled in the parking spot, parked her vehicle and made her way to towards the entrance, guarded by four armored soldiers wielding photon rifles. At far distance in a tower, she observed a sniper surveying her surroundings. However his vision was not towards the building they had chosen, so it was a smart decision to place Sombra in a convenient place like that. As she approached the security guard, she placed her id on scanning device, settled her eye on the retinal scanner, set her right hand on a fingerprint scanner and spoke in a microphone a passphrase.</p><p>“Satya Vaswani, codename Symmetra.”</p><p>The entrance opened up. The security guard greeted her with a knowing smile.</p><p>“Welcome back, Miss Vaswani. Back from your vacation.”</p><p>“Something like that.”</p><p>“So a new project you will be working today on.”</p><p>“If it would be, that would stay confidential, isn’t it Mr. Rangaswamy.”</p><p>“True. Besides the content in your suitcase reveals the confidentiality. Have a good day, Miss Vaswani.”</p><p>Sombra was getting the visual and auditory feed from Satya’s visor. She actually praised the first security layer Vishkar have placed. As Satya started moving into the premises, she did a spectrum scan to reveal all the sensors hiding in plain sight, attached to ground, floating in air and strapped to walls. As Sombra mapped all the possible sensor locations, she was astonished.</p><p>“Guau, that’s a lot of sensors. Are they running some prison or something?”</p><p>Satya gave a giggle, as she said ” Not all of them are sensors, some of them are camouflage disablers and others are just turrets. They will first slow down the target and then melt the target.”</p><p>“Dios mio. They melt their target.”</p><p>“Yes not always. Most infiltrators are shot down by the snipers and guards or if they are slowed, they immediately construct a prison around the target and capture them. ”</p><p>“Sabes que. Vishkar is crazy. Even Volskaya industries have less torturous security.”</p><p>“I told you so.”</p><p>“Okay okay I am convinced. So where are you heading to next?”</p><p>“To Sanjay Korpal.”</p><p>Sombra was a bit frightened to hear that name. Is Satya trying to betray her? Did she let her guard down? These bleak thoughts clouded her mind as she asked the question.</p><p>“Any reason why?”</p><p>Satya was a bit confused by the reasoning of question. Still she answered as honestly as she can.</p><p>“Because he is my handler. I want you to hack his system and extract his details, password username anything that will give me a deeper access to more restricted files. Also I want you to disable his system, if something happens.”</p><p>Sombra sighed a breath of relief, which was heard by Satya. Befuddled by it, she questioned Sombra.</p><p>“Wait, were you thinking that I will sell you out?”</p><p>“No, nada como eso.”</p><p>“Relax Sombra, I am not putting my exit plan at any sort not risk. You opened my eyes and gave me a chance to escape Vishkar’s control and manipulation. Besides you have a mission to fulfill remember. Why would I hamper that? I won’t undermine your determination, for which you absolved your true identity.”</p><p>Sombra was astonished by the reply as Satya kept talking.</p><p>“Besides the first day we met, you said you wanted me to be your friend. So I am doing that. I am respecting our friendship.”</p><p>“Oh, te refieres a eso.”</p><p>“Of course. I am a lonely person Sombra. I can’t intermingle with common folks easily, so I spend all my time working to alleviate this loneliness. Upon knowing the truth and breaking down, I wished for a shoulder to cry on. And you provided me that. And from a person who has lived in isolation, I felt the same solitude in you. So, I wish to be your friend.”</p><p>Sombra was mortified. She excelled in identifying people’s nonsense and spent her lifetime coercing and blackmailing to survive. But she could feel the genuineness in Satya’s words. Those were not lies. She was always prepared for reprimand and ill will from the people she interacts, with her revealing their secrets. But she was not prepared for those heartfelt words that she heard. Still regaining her composure, she jokingly asked.</p><p>“En serio? I thought we were beyond friendship now. You kissed me quite passionately that day in Oasis.”</p><p>Satya was a bit embarrassed by that memory, as she replied “hey, that was to save our butts from getting detected. Besides if you wish for it….”</p><p>There was a pang of silence between them when Satya reached, Sanjay’s office.</p><p>“Okay I am going in. Be ready to act when signaled.”</p><p>Sombra was broken from her silence. Chiding herself again for getting close to her, she focused on the signal.</p><p>Satya entered Sanjay’s room after asking for permission. As she sat in front of Sanjay, Sombra rolled her eyes looking into the feed.</p><p>“Hello Sanjay. It’s been a while.”</p><p>“It surely is. So I presume your vacation is over.”</p><p>“It is. The Oasis project was a bit draining for me. How is the feedback behind it?”</p><p>Sanjay moved from his seat and went towards a data chamber. With him being distracted, Satya slowly placed her hand behind Sanjay’s holographic adaptive interface, as Sombra understood the signal. She sent a signal through Satya’s prosthetic arm as Satya touched the system, with her arm’s lens glowing purple. After a few seconds, she heard a voice in her visor.”Esta hencho” Understanding the meaning, she removed her prosthetic hand, as Sanjay returned to his seat. He then held a cubical hologram and passed it to Satya as he said “Why don’t you see for yourself?”</p><p>Satya suspiciously opened the attachment, and finally saw the photos of her designed structures against the backdrop of setting sun of Oasis. There were photos of an inauguration. As Satya analyzed the photos, Sanjay explained the situation.</p><p>“They loved it. They were very happy with the designs and have decided that all the future infrastructure projects will be provided to Vishkar and we are finally able to open our own R&amp;D  department in Oasis. Well done Satya. As always.”</p><p>Sombra rolled her eyes even more, as she hacked through the system, running an untraceable and undetectable data transfer. As she found his details, he immediately sent a message to Satya’s visor, as she going through the images. Satya, being ecstatic with the positive feedback from her project and gaining the information, decided to proceed to the next plan.</p><p>“Well that was an optimistic response. I needed a favor from you Sanjay.”</p><p>“Okay, what do you need?”</p><p>“I need an access to the data banks. I want to go through the archives of my previous projects and look through the designs. Maybe modify some of it so that they can be reused for later projects.”</p><p>Sanjay looked at Satya with doubting eyes, wrapping his arms arouind his elbows. After thinking for a bit, he answered Satya.</p><p>“Okay I will send a request to the security team to allow you an entrance to our archives. You can go now if you want.”</p><p>“That will be a great idea. Thank you for the permission Sanjay.”</p><p>Satya unseated herself and moved towards the door. As she reached for the handle, Sanjay spoke up in a grim manner.</p><p>“Satya, was there a burglary in your house on the day before your journey to Oasis?”</p><p>Satya stopped in her tracks. Sanjay had suspicions about her treachery. She slowly turned her back towards Sanjay, as he was glaring towards her.</p><p>“No , no there were no such incident.”</p><p>“I hope so Satya. I trust you are not lying.”</p><p>Satya bowed her head and moved out of the room, her heart racing with fear. Is he onto me? But pushing those thoughts in her mind, Satya went towards the Data banks. Sombra too was a bit unnerved by the end of conversation, as her disgust for Sanjay increased.</p><p>Satya reached the data banks security chamber. The required verifications were completed and her equipment was allowed into the area. As Satya fixed herself and prepared to move inside, the guard warned her with a ominous tone.</p><p>“Good luck, Miss Vaswani.”</p><p>Satya felt a chill down her spine. Is Vishkar onto her action? Has their plan failed? So many pessimistic scenarios popped in her head and she slowly started to lose her calm. Sombra could sense the panic in Satya’s mind, as her visor showed elevated heart rate. She immediately talked with her.</p><p>“Calmate por favor. Your heart rate is spiking. You are sending signs of anxiety and they might catch those to implicate you. Quell your emotions, amiga. They are trying to play with you.”</p><p>Hearing Sombra’s words soothed Satya, as she move into the central chambers of memory banks. As she moved closer to the access panel, she crafted a invisible photon barrier around her and placed a teleporter near her legs connecting to her previously placed teleporter in the abandoned streets. Then she opened the holographic interface, as she was asked to enter the required details. She entered Sanjay’s details to get a deeper access to the data files. The virtual bot came to life as it came to her vision.</p><p>“What files do you want to access?”</p><p>Satya calmed her mind as she spoke out ”All files related to Talon and Rio.”</p><p>The holographic interface lit up as a green popup appeared on the screen and the bot declared.</p><p>“Access granted.”</p><p>All the files related to Rio and Talon popped up. Satya moved her prosthetic arm towards the interface to allow Sombra to download the files. Immediately the lens of the arm glowed purple, as Sombra started downloading the files. The download seemed to go faster and the plan seemed to work properly. Satya opened some files, which showed various transactions between Talon and Vishkar. It seemed Vishkar was funding Talon and their inhuman experiments. The files about Rio proved her doubts that the reports being shown to public were falsified, and Vishkar had much stricter plans it wanted to enact at that place.</p><p>As Satya searched through the files, she came across a unique folder. There was a symbol of eye as its thumbnail. Satya clicked on those files and the file opened. A large interacting icon of an eye with two dots hovering over them appeared. Sombra was distracted, checking out the files when her eyes went towards the feed. At that moment, Sombra was shocked, looking at the symbol that had been haunting her ever to this day. As Satya went on to touch that symbol, Sombra’s warning came a bit late.</p><p>“SATYA, DON’T.”</p><p>As soon as Satya touched the icon, the alarm started blaring throughout the room. Satya immediately tried to reduce the noise being fed to her auditory system, when the entire room lit up with the symbol of that eye. Satya could feel the immense penetrating and threatening gaze of those large eyes glowing across the room. Satya felt a sense of dread growing in her as she tried to balance herself. At that time Sombra’s voice started ringing in her ears.</p><p>“No puede ser.Ellas te encontraron. They found you. Satya run now. Escape that place right now.”</p><p>Satya wasn’t able to pick up her voice with all the alarms blaring. All she could hear was ‘They found you.’ But before she could respond to any of the warning, the room was flooded with armored guards pointing their photon weapons towards her. She saw Sanjay walking menacingly towards her as he declared.</p><p>“Oh Satya. I wish you hadn’t lied about your treachery.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Satya was petrified with fear. This was not the scenario she even closely expected. The plan was working too smoothly, which meant there might be a complication later on. She planned for the eventualities. But what she didn’t plan for was the freaking symbol. What did it mean? Why the entire Vishkar’s forces was mobilized to confront her? Why did Sombra tell her that ‘they found you’? Who are they? So many questions emerged in her mind, she felt difficulty taking a grasp of the situation when she heard Sanjay’s voice.</p><p>“Satya, why would you do this?”</p><p>Satya was confounded by the question. What did he mean by that? Does he mean by her betrayal or the fact that she tried to learn about this mysterious symbol? Pretending to satiate her curiosity, Satya questioned Sanjay.</p><p>“What do you mean by that statement?”</p><p> Sanjay looked at Satya with a unblinking face and a wolfish grin. He indicated the soldiers to take up firing positions. Satya watched with horror as the situation unfolded, trying to hide the untraceable data transfer and the deactivated teleporter behind her legs.As she was adjusting herself with fear on her face, Sanjay started to speak in a calm threatening manner.</p><p>“Satya, we were aware that you have been meeting someone for the last few days. We don’t know who exactly, but we determined it must have been someone who has been feeding you ideas regarding escaping us and tarnishing Vishkar’s reputation.”</p><p>“How do you know that?”</p><p>“All our agents are under constant surveillance. Your ally was wise enough to disrupt our systems so they cannot be detected. But we listened on your conversations and determined you might plan to betray Vishkar’s interests.”</p><p>Horror finally dawned on Satya’s face as she realized she was their pawn all along. Freedom really was a convenient illusion for her. With all the resources Vishkar used on her, they won’t just let her leave peacefully. As she realized her situation, Sanjay asked her a question.</p><p>“Why did you intend to betray us Satya?”</p><p>Satya glanced at Sanjay with a grave face. She closed her eyes and mustered every ounce of courage to tell what she wished she could have said that day.</p><p>“Vishkar is corrupt to the core. Behind all its façade of creating order from chaos, it yearns of only one thing - control and manipulation. I too perhaps blindly believed in these bogus ideals of Vishkar, believed my actions would make the world a better place. But it wasn’t, was it? All it did was open new ways Vishkar could exert control over common population. That’s what Vishkar truly stand for-domination of free will and oppression and persecution of common people under the guise of altruism. I can no longer stand to be a part of this farce any longer. I quit.”</p><p>Sanjay, closing his eyes, breathed a sigh of disappointment. As he opened his eyes, he looked at Satya pitifully and vocalized his displeasure.</p><p>“Oh my naïve Satya. You think you can escape Vishkar’s clutches that easily. You think you are anything without Vishkar. We made you. You were just a filthy kid from the slums who was incapable of surviving in the harsh world, where nobody understood you. Vishkar picked you from the filth and crafted and molded you into the tool you are today. Vishkar created you and thus Vishkar owns you. You dare bite the hand of the master who fed you. What a joke. Remember this Satya. You are nothing without Vishkar. A nobody, from the slums of Hyderabad.”</p><p>Satya was mortified upon hearing this. So this is what Vishkar thought of her. A tool crafted from trash. A convenient brainwashed instrument to be utilized for spreading VIshkar’s influence. Her heart was filled with unprecedented anger and sorrow. But unable to show these bubbling emotions, she clenched her fists and lowered her face, her eyes filled with tears. She didn’t expect such harsh and vile remarks. Tears drizzled through the face as she held back her melancholic voice, wishing to shout out in catharsis.</p><p> Sombra was watching the feed, listening to the abuse hurled at Satya. Brimming with anger and madness, she thought to herself. “No te preocupes bastardo. I will make your life a living hell.” As her thoughts ran wild on how to humiliate Sanjay, she heard him speak again.</p><p>“But Vishkar is willing to give you a chance. Stop this foolishness Satya. Return back and you will be forgiven with a simple apology. You are a valuable asset to Vishkar. Beside what have you learnt that made you distrust us so much? You were a staunch advocate of our visions. “</p><p> Satya looked up with disgust, her eyes filled with tears, as she bombarded Sanjay with her own questions.</p><p>“If you are so willing Sanjay, then tell me this. Why is Vishkar allied with Talon? Why Vishkar funds Talon’s inhuman experiments and terrorist activities? What were you doing with Akande Ogundimu? Why Vishkar rejected the plans I offered for Rio? Why was I removed from Rio’s project? Why Vishkar planned to enact tyrannical schemes for Rio? Answer me, Sanjay.”</p><p>There was a pang of guilt ridden silence in the air. No one spoke as Vishkar’s corruption were brought onto surface. Satya, aloof of this eerie silence, continued her accusations.</p><p>“Just as expected. Silence is your answer. Pray do tell me, what does this symbol mean? Why is this symbol of eye is even remotely related to Vishkar? Is Vishkar related to some clandestine cabal of powerful organization who are involved in some worldwide conspiracy of world domination? Is that the reason why Vishkar used corporate espionage to destroy other corporate competition?”</p><p> Sanjay felt himself getting irritated with Satya’a line of questioning. His patience at an end, he broke his silence and threatened Satya with a glaring look.</p><p>“Satya, don’t shout. You are not supposed to know things beyond your caliber. You are a puppet, you are to function according to the instructions given to you. If you won’t surrender willingly, then I have other ways to force you. I am sorry Satya that it has to be this way.”</p><p>Satya expected what was to come, as Sanjay opened up a holographic interface showing a single message ‘Execute brain control procedure?’. Sombra, as she looked through the feed the interface Sanjay opened, understood the implication. And then it happened. Sanjay pressed ‘Yes’.</p><p> Satya fell down on her knees, with a shriek coming out of her mouth. The neural implants in her brain received a massive shock, as she cried out in pain. Unable to hold herself, Satya fell down on the floor, curled up with her hands around her head, as the pain increased. Tears welled up in her eyes and her nose started bleeding. Gritting her teeth, Satya tried her best to endure the pain, to give Sombra time to interrupt the signal. But the agony was too much, as she screamed in pain.</p><p>“Please, make it stop. I beg you. Make it stop.”</p><p>Sanjay looked at her unfazed, unbothered by her screams of agony. He gave a little sarcastic giggle and replied to her pleading cries.</p><p>“Pain is a great teacher Satya. You needed to be reminded of your position in Vishkar. A servile fool. Your free will is an illusion. You required punishment for your actions Satya, for your defiance against your owner. Don’t worry, I will make it painful. And when your mind is finally broken, your will is destroyed then I will stop the procedure and you will fulfill your role as intended by VIshkar.”</p><p>Satya writhed in pain on the floor. She felt nauseous, her senses slowly fading into obscurity. As her body convulsed in agony, she tried to remember the moments of her life. But all she could remember was her constant struggle to survive, the training at Vishkar, her constant endeavor for law and order and her ignorance to Vishkar’s façade. She was a lonely person and Vishkar isolated her to make sure her allegiance always stayed with them. As her mind started to numb, her subconscious falling into darkness, she saw a flicker of light, a very recent memory.</p><p>The memory of meeting Sombra. The moment the truth was revealed, those few days she spent with Sombra planning, the memory of being vulnerable in her embrace, and the accidental kiss she gave to her in Oasis. Satya felt a delight growing in her heart, reminding herself these last few weeks perhaps gave her the happiest memories of her lifetime and if she has to die today, perhaps she could die with these memories as she breathes her last. As she felt a sense of calm spreading through her body, she mumbled something inaudible to others.</p><p>“Thank you, Sombra.”</p><p>Suddenly, her pain stopped. As she struggled to look at what happened with puffy eyes and bloodied nose, she saw Sanjay panicking as the procedure was interrupted. As he tried to reboot the interface, his arm went haywire and he fell down. Satya finally put up a smile as Sanjay started shouting.</p><p>“What the heck is going on? Who is interrupting the procedure? Arghh.. my arm. Is this your mysterious ally Satya? Huhhh. Huh…  Don’t worry, it doesn’t change anything. If we can’t control you, then we have to terminate you. Executive orders 219. Eliminate the target.”</p><p>All the armored forces pointed their weapon towards injured Satya, as she tried to recover to stand up. Arming her photon projector, she waited to activate the teleporter, as all the units started firing on her. A large explosion occurred at the point of impact, accompanied by a bright light filling the place. As the explosion decayed, the soldiers holstered their weapon confirmed by the death.</p><p>But a different scenery played out in front of them, as they viewed a broken barrier deteriorating from the energy blasts fired from their weapons, and a bloodied and staggered Satya standing in front of them with a teleporter activated behind her There was an invisible barrier around her and their energy blasts had partially destroyed it. Satya then activated the teleporter, and disappeared, with the data transfer complete, unbeknownst to the spectators. Gritting his teeth, Sanjay shouted.</p><p>“So you can now create entire hardlight barriers from beyond the visible spectrum. I am impressed Satya. Even in your defiance, your brilliance radiates. Shame you have to die now. Everyone, spread out and find her. Don’t let her escape.”</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------   </p><p>(A few minutes before)Sombra watched with horror as the events unfolded. As she heard about the procedure, she started infiltrating and hacking Sanjay’s system. At that moment, she heard the agonizing scream of Satya as she started removing the firewalls and accessing his arm, from where he was activating the signal. But the security was constantly adapting  to her damage, and it was taking time to interrupt the signal, with Satya’s pleas and screams constantly bombarding her ears. She wondered who she was mentioning, while frantically breaking through the defenses. At that moment, she heard Sanjay’s reply and she started seething in anger.</p><p>“Muy bien, gilipollas. Te ensenare como se ve la verdadera maldad.”</p><p>She found a backdoor through the defenses and then deactivated the firewalls from the inside. As she proceeded to shut down the signal and send a counter signal to crash Sanjay’s arm, she heard the soft mumble from Satya’s mouth and pressed yes.</p><p>After the signal went live, she stopped hearing the screams of pain and heard the huffing and puffing of Satya’s body, as she struggled to stand and saw blood drizzling from her nose on the feed. As she heard the energy blasts fired at her, she immediately walked away from her place and opened up the window to throw her translocator at a nearby roof and she proceeded to find Satya at their pre-determined location.</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Satya stumbled from the teleporter she placed at the abandoned street. Her body felt shaky and her mind felt numb, as she struggled to walk, fumbling along her path. She took support against a wall and calmed her breathing while shaking her head. After a few minutes, she could think properly and decided to move towards their pre-determined location.</p><p>As Satya exited the street,a high powered energy beam shot through her knee as she fell down on the ground, screaming . The beam was shot from quite a distance, possibly by a sniper and it burned through the thigh above her knee. She tried to get up and liofted her leg, trying to determine the trajectory of the shot. At that moment she heard another shot fired at her direction, and instinctively she released a photon shield towards it blocking the shot. Pain unbearable, she tried to stand and walk as she opened up a teleporter towards a building. As she move through the teleporter and reached the building, few more soldiers broke the glass panes and invaded the building, firing photon beams at her. Satya created two shields besides her, blocking the beams as she moved out of the building, crashing and breaking the glass window and fell through the building. She created a slide in midair to the ground and slid across it, when energy blasts were fired from multiple directions. She wrapped her arms around her head, moving through the slide, when a hard light spear was thrown from below the slide, piercing her abdomen. Her mouth was shot open as she took a large swath of air in her lungs and cried out in pain. The slide was breaking under constant bombardment and Satya’s mind was numbing in pain. It was at this moment that three energy blasts hit her body, one through her prosthetic arm, damaging it and two shots were through her left leg. The slide broke down close to the ground as she fell down with her face to the ground. She tried to stand up, blood profusely flowing out of her burn wounds. She put her hand on the abdominal wounds and tried to keep pressure on it as soldiers gathered around her back started firing more beams, which hit her squarely through her shoulder plate, thighs and abdomen. She tries to put up another shield wall behind her as she is bleeding throughout her body, her Vishkar uniform soaked in blood and torn apart at places where she was hit. With the last effort of her damaged prosthetic, she creates another teleporter and disappears through it, as the soldiers are not able to follow her.</p><p>Satya finally reached an abandoned alley as the teleporter transmitted her to this place and fell on her belly. Trying to drag herself across the alley towards an electric pole with much agony and pain, as blood dripped out of her body, leaving a bloody trail about the path she managed to lean against the pole and put injured arms around her abdomen. She removed her hands from her abdomen and gazed at the blood on her palms. The pain from the wounds were unbearable, but she was glad, that in even in her death Vishkar still lost as the information has reached the right source and Vishkar can be exposed for its heinous acts. In her dizziness caused by severe blood loss, she heard the footsteps from beyond the alley as a Vishkar soldier walked towards her with his weapon drawn. She finally closed her eyes, waiting for her inevitable demise.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Lena was flying overlow in the Aurora around Utopean airspace, trying to search for any signal from their unexpected caller. As she kept the aircraft in hover mode, she rested her head on the seat, as Genji and Angela moved inside the cockpit.</p><p>“Any sign yet?”</p><p>“Not quite doc. I am afraid we might be too late. But I hope we still can rescue her.”</p><p>“If she knows about talon, then they will definitely try to kill her. We have to hurry.”</p><p>Genji’s words were proved true as within minutes the sensors picked up an emergency Overwatch rescue signal moving rapidly across on the map. Tracer concentrated on hovering to that location as Genji and Mercy went towards the exit. As the door opened up, Mercy initiated her Valkyrie suit and exited the plane, flying towards the moving car and Tracer followed suit.</p><p>“Athena, hack the vehicle generating the signal and bring it to a stop.”</p><p>“Affirmative, agent Tracer.”</p><p>The hover car was brought to a gradual stop while Mercy landed near the location. Tracer hovered the aircraft near the location, waiting for a signal. Mercy immediately opened the door to find an unconscious Satya. There were burn wounds all over her body and Mercy checked her pulse to find out she barely alive, hanging by a thread.</p><p>“Genji, bring the medical cot. We have found our rescuee and she is extremely injured. I will start emergency biotic treatment on her.”</p><p>Genji immediately brought the cot from the aircraft and moved towards Mercy as she pulled out Satya’s body from the car and laid her out on the cot,while initiating and pumping the biotic nanomachines from her Caduceus staff and Valkyrie suit to initiate healing process. Genji looking at the body,lifted the cot and moved towards the aircraft, as he spoke with concern.</p><p>“Her injuries are really severe. We have to take her to our base.”</p><p>Angela looked at Genji with unease. The injuries reminded her of Genji as she tried to pacify the patient with gentle words. Satya was unconscious and her eyes didn’t open, but as the plane started to leave the airspace, she could hear the gentle voice of a woman speaking to  her soothingly.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Miss Vaswani. I will definitely save you.”</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you to all the readers enjoying my story. This story has been a beacon for me during these dark times I am currently going through. Writing these chapters gives me joy and I get immense pleasure from the people enjoying my story and giving valuable feedback.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Satya Vaswani was laying on a hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown in an induced coma. There were bandages around the legs and right hand and multiple medical tubes were inserted inside her nose and between her hand and arm. A rotating circular equipment waved across her entire body in periodic intervals, emitting a regular stream of biotic nanoparticles while sophisticated monitors around her showed the anatomical status of her entire body. Her damaged prosthetic arm was removed and kept aside on a nearby table, as her chest heaved back and forth to indicate that she was still alive.</p><p>Genji was sitting on a nearby chair, resting his head and observing the equipment’s visual output to contemplate any situations that might occur. It was 4 in the morning in Watchpoint Gibraltar, and everyone was asleep in their quarters. All the available members had taken shift duty to look after the patient when Dr. Ziegler was not treating her. Genji’s duty usually arrived in morning as he woke up first thus he was currently guarding the patient. As Genji focused on the lying patient, the door swooshed upon as Angela entered the room.</p><p>“Angela, had a goodnight sleep? You woke a bit early.”</p><p>Angela, with her tousled hair and coffee cup in her hand, watched Genji while covering her mouth with back of her hand to hide the yawning. As her yawn ended, she smiled at him while walking towards and took a seat beside him.</p><p>“Yes, I had quite a good sleep. I didn’t know when you slipped away from the bed, so when I couldn’t find you lying beside me, I figured you might have woken up for duties and it was early morning.”</p><p>“Well duties were assigned by you, Doctor Ziegler, so I have to follow them step by step. Can’t neglect my duties.”</p><p>Both had a light chuckle with their exchange, when Angela’s face suddenly became serious as she looked at the patient lying on the bed.</p><p>“You know Genji, looking at our patient here. I was reminded of you. When we first brought your body back into our headquarters, I was horrified at your injuries. Your right arm slashed off, both your legs mangled to the point of no restoration and your torso sliced upon. I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to save you. I am still surprised to this day how you managed to stay alive despite those grievous wounds.”</p><p>Genji bowed down, looking at his legs. He was reminded of the pain he felt that day, as life drained from his body. The pain in his brother’s eyes when he struck him down, the glee of the other members of Shimada clan and the rage he felt boiling within his heart. His body knew one thing, he wanted to survive and enact his vengeance on the clan and his brother. That very emotion kept him going. Rage is a hell of an anesthetic. That’s what he felt, when he destroyed and uprooted his entire clan. But his rage never died down. If not for meeting Angela and Zenyatta, he perhaps would never have found the inner peace and tranquility and the capacity of forgiving his brother. He thanked these two people from the bottom of his heart in his mind and replied to Angela.</p><p>“I wanted to survive, Angela. I wanted to be able to walk again. Perhaps rage was what keeping me alive that day.”</p><p>Angela gazed into Genji’s visor, as she regretted reminding him of his agony and suffering. She took his left hand in her palms when Genji glance at her as she apologized.</p><p>“I am sorry Genji. I wasn’t trying to remind you of those painful memories.”</p><p>Genji was surprised at her deduction. But it wasn’t her fault. He still sometimes felt gloomy, looking at his body. But he is at peace with his duality, with being the bridge between humans and machines, Trying to clear the doubts between them, Genji raised his right hand to cup Angela’s chin as he replied.</p><p>“Don’t be sorry. If not for you Doctor Ziegler, I wouldn’t have survived to this day. If not for that incident Angela, I would have never met you. Rather I should be apologizing, for selfishly leaving you alone without a proper goodbye to deal with Overwatch’s fallout. For all those times I was fueled by vengeance, the fondest memories of mine were with you Angela.”</p><p>Angela looked at Genji as he spoke, relaxing her face on his palm and slowly closing her eyes, feeling the warmth of affection. She opened her eyes while caressing his hand with her other hand as Genji slowly shifted his hand and let Angela lay down her head on his shoulders.</p><p>“So how serious were her injuries?”</p><p>“Very serious. When we found you, your brain was still intact and alive. I can revive a person with my biotic technology as long as they are not brain dead. But our patient here was very close to being brain dead. It seemed as if some sort electrical shock was applied directly to her neurons from her neural implants. And there were severe burn injuries. I don’t know what weapons were being used to attack her, but the energy blasts literally burned her skin and internal organ. It was a miracle that we found her hanging by the thread. I hope that her wounds heal soon.”</p><p> Satya felt like she was in a dream, or so to say a nightmare. It started the day she was orphaned when her parents were caught in a crossfire between Indian armed forces and the omnics attacking Hyderabad. She has very little memory of what they looked like, or she simply suppressed them to flee from the pain. The  nightmare moves on to a different scenario, as she is seated away from the other orphans sharing their food among themselves, with her being unable to handle all the loud noises around them. Her stomach growls as she wishes if she could ask them to give her some food. But the orphans need to do their share to get their food and she has been unable to stand the crowd and beg for alms to survive. As her dream progress further, she watches few persons dressed in formal prim and proper clothing, as they gather all the orphans and give them something to solve. As she solves her question first, the visitors are impressed and they invite her to join Vishkar Academy for Light Architech, where they will take care of her every aspect. Her face erupts with a smile, as she finally gets to leave the filthy and noisy slum of hers. The dream proceeds further showing her training, the praise she received for her uniqueness in light bending, her complete isolation from the world, she becoming an accomplished architech leading to the day in Calado.</p><p>Her dream finally turns into a nightmare, as she watches fires around her burning the favelas. She stares at the mother and child sitting on the ground, her mother sobbing while holding her dying daughter and gazing into her charred face. She closes her eyes in shame, but her ears still perceive the agonizing cries of the people as he convinces herself ‘It’s for the greater good.’ As her nightmare burns through her mind, she feels a hand on her shoulder. She turns to look at Sombra standing behind her. She proceeds to place her lips upon hers, as she cups her face, running her hands gently through her hair as Sombra wraps her arms around her waist. She enjoys those moments of bliss, as her senses tingle with her kiss deepening. Satya breaks herself away from the kiss and gazes into Sombra’s eyes, as she places her forehead on hers, with tears flowing down her eyes. Then she disappears from her arms, much to Satya’s surprise as soldiers point their weapons at her face before she hears one last thing.</p><p>“You are nothing without Vishkar. You…. are a nobody.”</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>Satya opened her eyes slowly and painfully. She felt herself lying on a bed with a rotating device going back and forth over her body. She tried to get up but she felt weak. She felt something empty near her left shoulder to find her prosthetic arm removed. The nightmare was still fresh in her mind as she adjusted her eyes to the brightness around her and tried to shake her body. Hearing that she felt someone come towards her but she couldn’t see them clearly. At that moment, she heard a voice, the last voice she heard before knocking on death’s door.</p><p>“Miss Vaswani, you are awake. Glad to have you on the side of living.”</p><p>Satya’s eyes finally adjusted as she saw an ashen haired lady with a Swiss-German accent, wearing a stethoscope around her neck adjusting the instruments near her as the rotating device came to a stop, dissociating and sliding back below the bed. She checked her surroundings to see a cyborg standing near the doctor with his scarred face visible. Confused as to where she was and having difficulty to speak up, Satya asked a question to the persons beside her.</p><p>“Where am I? Who are you?”</p><p>Angela examined the patient to check for any irregularities with treatment. When she observed she wasn’t in immediate danger, she answered her questions.</p><p>“I am Dr. Angela Ziegler and you are in Overwatch Watchpoint Gibralatar, or whats left of it.”</p><p>Satya then gazed up into the ceiling and closed her eyes with gratitude as her eyes were filled with tears. Her message was received and they responded to it. Content at being alive, she thanked Sombra in her heart as she responded to Angela.</p><p>“Thank you, for saving my life.”</p><p>“I am a doctor. Saving my patients is my primary duty. We assumed you wanted refuge and thus we responded. We should be apologizing for being late.  You should be feeling tired. Rest well. After you wake up, we can have further diagnosis of your body.”</p><p>Angela comforted the patient as she and Genji left the room to let Satya rest. Satya, appreciating her good luck to be able to meet with these people in her recent times, closed her tired eyes to let herself have a good sleep.  </p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>As Satya woke up after a few hours, she was surprised to find a few people standing beside her along with Dr. Ziegler. One was a brunette petite  woman wearing a device on her chest, while on other side a smaller chubby spectacled woman and a tall buff ginger woman. As she tried to get up on the bed the brunette lady came with a zap near her and helped her ease up to a sitting position. As she struggled to sit comfortably, Angela along with other ladies moved closer to her.</p><p>“Take it slow, love. You were injured badly. You should be a wee bit careful about moving your body.”</p><p>Satya looked at the petite woman, who had a British accent, helping her as she apologized for the inconvenience.</p><p>“No problem, love. We are here to help.”</p><p>Angela went forward and scanned her body with a device and after moving the device back and forth, she gave her assessment.</p><p>“Okay so no deviation been detected. Your limb injuries are still healing but I can recommend little locomotion for you so that your muscular atrophy can be reduced. Your brain injuries, which was my major concern, has perfectly healed. Your prosthetic however is still damaged and I will reattach it after you are completely healed. With your permission, we can use our experts Brigitte, Winston and Mei to repair your arm. From today, you are free to move. We have an automated wheelchair ready for you.”</p><p>Satya patiently listened to the diagnosis of her current situation. As she tried to express her gratitude, Angela raised a serious question.</p><p>“Before I release you, can you answer a few questions regarding how you received those injuries? If you are uncomfortable, then we can stop.”</p><p>Satya shook her head a bit as he answered “It’s okay, I am willing to answer any queries.”</p><p>“Good, because I really want to know why a corporate organization is willing to brutally murder their employee.” Satya was confounded by the stern voice when she saw a giant old man and a black ponytailed woman standing in the doorway. They both entered the room as Angela introduced everyone to Satya.</p><p>“Miss Vaswani, allow me to introduce the members of Overwatch. This is Lena Oxton, Dr. Mei Ling Zhou, Brigitte Lindholm, Reinhardt and Sojourn.” Satya greeted each of them as they acknowledged and greeted her back .As their greetings ended, Satya felt the place getting a bit congested, but she didn’t feel any discomfort. Rather a sense of relief passed over her body as she answered Angela’s question.</p><p>“Hmmmm……… When Vishkar found out about my treachery, they decided to enact the mind control procedure.”</p><p>As everyone heard that term, they were frozen in their spot. Mind control, what the hell does that mean? As everyone stood in silence, Satya described her ordeal.</p><p>“As you treated me Dr. Ziegler, you might have seen the neural implants I have. These neural implants are directly connected to my prosthetic arm. It’s through these implants that I send the necessary instructions to create hard light structures. The reverse can be done as well. A signal to disrupt brain functions can be sent through the arm to my brain to incapacitate it. That’s what happened.”</p><p>“Wait so you are saying…..”</p><p>“Vishkar doesn’t outright kill their agents. They use a signal via their handlers to send a shock to the brain, damaging brain cells until the point they become close to brain dead. At that moment when the …”</p><p>“frontal lobe brain cells are completely damaged, then they send the required instructions to control the body.”</p><p>Angela completed Satya’s sentence and Satya nodded to agree to her statement. The others made a face of disgust when Sojourn spoke up.</p><p>“I knew that Vishkar is a shady organization. But this is something even I never expected. Anyways how did you escape?”</p><p>Satya glanced at Sojourn and then looked down to think whether or not to reveal her ally. Deciding to not let them know she answered Sojourn’s question.</p><p>“I had an ally. However I am uncomfortable to talk about my ally at this moment. I hope you can respect my word that I will tell about her someday, but not right now.”</p><p>“Don’t worry love. We won’t. Right Sojourn.”</p><p>Lena stared at Sojourn with squinted eyes as Sojourn raised her hands and gave up her line of questioning. At that time, Mei asked Satya.</p><p>“So how were those other severe physical injuries incurred on you? When you were brought into the base, you were so heavily injured that we didn’t expect you would live.”</p><p>Satya saw the grave concern on Mei’s face. She knew she was heavily injured but didn’t know to what extent, looking around, she saw the same concern in everyone’s eyes which she decided to alleviate.</p><p>“Well when my handler couldn’t fry my brain, I escaped into the city using my teleporter and he established a manhunt to terminate me. So as I tried to escape, I was shot by Vishkar’s armed forces throughout the chase across Utopea using their photon weapons. That would explain the severe burn wounds.” Everyone was stunned with her explanation and escape from this unbelievable situation and Reinhardt taking the opportunity said something to cheer everyone up.</p><p>“Well we are grateful to Angela here, who worked day and night to save your life. We are glad that you are finally out of danger.” Satya, thinking she might have caused unnecessary problem, apologized to Angela, to which Angela replied with a doctor’s grace.</p><p>“As a doctor, it is my duty to save the life of my patient, no matter the effort required. You don’t need to apologize for anything, Miss Vaswani.”</p><p>Satya bowed her head down and expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Angela. At that moment she realized she has to share some required information as per their agreement she made in her message. Realizing her folly, Satya immediately replied to everyone.</p><p>“Before I completely forget, I have downloaded the required information and have stored it in an encrypted cloud storage. I can offer it to you in exchange for refuge…”</p><p> Satya’s words were halted as Lena spoke up “Wow, hold it there, love. We don’t need the information to give you refuge. The moment you asked for our help, we had decided to help you. You can consider Overwatch your second home until you are ready to leave.” Reinhardt too added to the conversation as he spoke out with his boisterous and chivalrous voice. “Lena is right, my lady. Overwatch will never turn its back on those who need help. It would be our greatest honor if you accept to be a part of our family.”</p><p>Satya was overwhelmed by these kind words spoken to her. For the longest time she knew, life has been a give and take situation for her. Words like home and family were distant memories in her mind. She has been alone for so long that being provided with any sort of familial companionship was a mystery to her. She just closed her eyes and thought about the recent events and was glad that even if she came so close to death’s door, she was finally able to meet people, who didn’t require anything from her to be considered somebody. She was finally somebody to a group of people without them wishing something in return. As Satya pondered over this warm feeling in her heart, Angela told Satya that she can now move around the base and get some fresh air. She asked if anyone is free to help Satya roam around the base, when Lena raised her hand to volunteer for this job. Helping Satya get on the automated wheelchair, Lena walked outside with Satya in wheelchair as she spoke cheerfully.</p><p>“Come on love. Let me show you the beauty of this place. I bet it will be a fun ride.”       </p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lena walked alongside the automated wheelchair Satya was sitting on as they started their tour of the watchpoint. Lena first guided the wheelchair towards the central control station, where Winston was running some diagnosis on their equipment. Satya observed a lot of damaged equipment just lying around the place and was a bit dissatisfied. Nonetheless she did not show her discomfort as Lena went towards Winston to introduce her.</p><p>“Winston, our patient is up and about.”</p><p>Winston, who seemed a bit focused on running diagnostics on the machines, turned towards them and greeted the ladies.</p><p>“Greetings Miss Vaswani. I hope your recovery went well.”</p><p>“Yes it did. I presume you must be Dr. Winston.”</p><p>“That I am. Sorry for the mess. I was alone and with Overwatch agents responding to recall, I haven’t got the time to properly arrange the equipment.”</p><p>“It’s okay. After my prosthetic arm gets repaired and my condition improves, I can accompany you in this endeavor.”</p><p>“Ohh. That is quite gracious of you. I will definitely consider that offer. About your prosthetic though..”</p><p>“I will help Miss Lindholm in repairing my arm. I will try to first concentrate in improving my condition.”</p><p>“That is reasonable. Anyways, this is your access card for this watchpoint. A few areas are currently out of access for you. But if you consider joining us, those areas will be available. We have assigned you a room in our quarters, Lena can show you after your tour ends.”</p><p>Satya accepted the access card graciously and thanked Winston for the hospitality. They bid him goodbye and were leaving the place, when Winston called Lena to ask her something. Lena excused herself from Satya as she walked towards him.</p><p>“What happened dear?”</p><p>“Do you, you know?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“The location of the new box of peanut butter I bought.”</p><p>“I thought we were working towards reducing peanut butter addiction.”</p><p>“Well..”</p><p>“Alright fine, it is in that compartment. I kept it right beside you, so you wouldn’t mess the storage trying to find it. But only one more. As per our agreement.”</p><p>Lena unlocked the compartment near him, locked with her fingerprint and pulled out two peanut butter container. She gave it to Winston and bid him farewell, as Winston resumed his work again, while eating peanut butter from the container Lena gifted.</p><p>Satya waited while Lena went to discuss something with Winston. She took observation of the  control center, taking note of the construction. She noticed a few cracks in the glass ceiling above and that irked her a little. Taking notes in her mind, she created a 3d imagery of the place and tried to recognize the weak points and security concerns. As she came close to completing her observation, Lena came close to her as she apologized for leaving her.</p><p>“Sorry Satya. Winston had something to discuss with me. Shall we move?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>Satya and Lena went out of the control center to visit other places. Lena then guided Satya towards outside of Watchpoint, where there was a wide road with a deactivated payload delivery system. Lena and Satya moved along the road till they came across a turn, where they could observe the vast Mediterranean Sea and the actual Rock of Gibraltar, into which the entire facility was cut into. Lena took a deep breath as she took in the cool breeze from the sea and spoke up.</p><p>“Hmmm… This is my first favorite spot in the damn facility. The cool breeze hitting your face as you watch the sunset really calms your mind. When this facility was active, I always spent most of my time around this spot. Brings back memories.”</p><p>“There is beauty in this.”</p><p>Satya took in the sight as she closed her eyes to feel the cool breeze and felt a fuzzy sensation in her body. It’s been a while since she visited a calm place in a long while, being busy with work. As she took a deep breath, Lena indicated something to Satya.</p><p>“Look at the top of that building there. That was my spot. Emily and I used to spend quite a bit of time there.”</p><p>“Wait. Emily.”</p><p>“Yeah. She is my girlfriend. We have been together for 7 years now.”</p><p>“Ohh. Where does she live?”</p><p>“Kings’ Row.”</p><p>Satya’s face went down a bit. She was familiar with the troubled history of that place as she put a finger alongside a jaw, pondering. Lena understood the sudden silence and replied.</p><p>“Yeah. I know. The place has the most troubled history related to human-omnic relations. But well Emily is an architect and she is busy giving plans for construction of several destroyed infrastructure of the place. It’s her home town as well. She is actually quite a big fan of you.”</p><p>Satya was surprised by the piece of information. She could guess why though, with being an architect means she would have seen her face in popular STEM and architect magazines where Vishkar used her face to promote their company. Thinking about this, she replied.</p><p>“Oh, I am quite surprised. But why don’t you invite her to live here? It would be safer for her, for time being.”</p><p>“Oh she is very stubborn. When I insisted her to come stay here, she denied to hear it, saying she still has much to do here. Huh. Anyway enough talk about my girlfriend, lets visit other places.”</p><p>Lena then guided her across the road towards a large gate as the road ended. They moved towards the smaller door for personal use as they entered a vast area, littered with several rocket equipment like thrusters, engines, payload etc. From there they moved to a workshop, as Lena tried to explain about the location to her best.</p><p>“And this is the retrofitted workshop. Anyone among our team who would wish to tinker with their equipment and make some modifications are allowed her. Winston has given you access to this area if you wish to perform any hard light modifications here.”</p><p>As the door opened up, they were greeted by Brigitte and Reinhardt, doing some modifications to their respective armors. They greeted each other and Lena and Satya moved towards them while Satya noticed the armor on display.</p><p>“Armor, huh how positively medieval.”</p><p>Everyone else was stunned in silence as Satya stayed still in awkwardness. Reinhardt, without understanding what happened, replied in a boisterous manner.</p><p>“I will take that as a compliment, my lady.”</p><p>Hearing this, Brigitte and Lena burst out in laughter. As Satya got confused, her face was flushed with embarrassment, as her nature of judging people inadvertently came forward. She hung her head in apology and responded.</p><p>“I profusely apologize for my statement. I didn’t mean to appear rude. I was just a bit surprised to see someone using heavy armor in this age.”</p><p>“Haven’t you heard of the Crusaders of Germany, my lady?”</p><p>“No, I actually haven’t.”</p><p>“Here we go, again.”</p><p>Both Lena and Brigitte put a hand in disappointment across their forehead as Reinhardt began to tell the story of Crusaders.</p><p>“We were the immortal defenders of Germany. Me and my squire here are the last remaining memory of the proud history of Crusaders. We fought in Omnic crisis and showed courage and bravery in defending the innocents from the wrath of omnics. Unfortunately, most of us sacrificed our lives in defending this world and perhaps we are the only ones left.”</p><p>Reinhardt’s voice went sorrowful as he ended his speech, as everyone hearing stayed in mournful silence. Reinhardt still expressed his opinion on the matter.</p><p>“This armor and shield, it’s a reminder of my duty, to be the protector of innocents and loved ones. And be the vanguard against my enemies.”</p><p>Satya felt a bit ashamed. She didn’t mean to come across as rude, judging other people’s choices. But her statement, while in a jest, turned the atmosphere sour. She wanted to apologize for this gloomy atmosphere when suddenly Reinhardt’s voice boomed through the air.</p><p>“Why is everyone gloomy? This is a glorious story of a knight and their duty. There should be cheer and happiness, not gloom and misery. Haha.. hahaha.”</p><p>Satya was dumbfounded by the sequence of events. One moment she could sense the sorrow behind his words and the grief in his eyes. The next moment she could feel the vibrant energy emanating for his laugh. Finding it amusing, Satya gave a chuckle as Reinhardt responded appropriately.</p><p>“There you go, my lady. Welcome to our team. Good to have you here.”</p><p> Everyone shared a hearty laughter as Lena and Satya bid them farewell and moved towards the nearby room attached to workshop, which has been retrofitted as a lab, as Mei was sitting crunching some numbers as some dots were displayed on a map.</p><p>“Hello Mei. Are you busy?”</p><p> Mei, who was attentively observing the numbers, diverted her attention towards the guests in the lab, as she hurriedly arranged her belongings to greet them.</p><p>“Hey guys. Come on in. Sorry it’s a bit messy.”</p><p> “It’s okay Mei. Satya, hmm can I call you Satya?”</p><p>“Of course. It would be my pleasure.”</p><p>“So this is Dr. Mei Ling Zhou.”</p><p>“Ye hen gaoxing jian dao ni.”</p><p> Satya shook her hand covered in mittens and greeted back. She had some projects in China and although she can’t speak Mandarin, she understood some basic expressions, one of which Mei just spoke.</p><p>“It’s good to meet you too. Wait, Dr. Mei Ling Zhou, the world renowned climatologist who first hypothesized the artificial weather cooling system, and published several research papers on abnormal climate phenomena around various ecosystems. I heard you were lost in some accident in Antarctica.”</p><p>Mei face grew a bit grave, but she adjusted her glasses and explained her situation to Satya.</p><p>“Well the reports were a bit exaggerating. But I was out of action for almost a decade. Me and my team, we were investigating irregular atmospheric behavior in Antarctica. As per our hypothesis, we went on a cryostasis. But..”</p><p>Lena intervened and discussed about the situation with Satya.</p><p>“Mei was the only survivor of the cryostasis experiment. And frankly, it’s Overwatch’s fault. We were supposed to be extracting them but with Overwatch’s shutdown, her teammates’ rescue signal was ignored.”</p><p>Satya again felt apologetic. Perhaps the members of overwatch had a tragic history, in one way or other. But she was also inspired by the methods with which they dealt with them and instead worked towards a ordered and beautiful future. Feeling her disdain, Satya bowed her head and apologized.</p><p>“I am sorry. Dr. Zhao. I didn’t know..”</p><p>“It’s okay. I don’t let the past sadden me anymore. I have pledged to carry on this mission of saving our planet in lieu of my colleagues and I intend to fulfill it.  But I was surprised you have studied my research.”</p><p>“Of course, I was quite young back then. Since Vishkar restricted any sort of entertainment, I made observations on prominent research done worldwide, and I was impressed by your hypothesis that the current environmental chaos engulfing earth might have unnatural reasons behind it.”</p><p>“Hmm. That is quite surprising to discuss with people who believe in my hypotheses. There have been several “anti-intellectualists” who have called me crazy and denied my research.”</p><p>“But you presented very intricate and ordered data to confirm your conjecture. And data can’t lie.”</p><p>“Exactly, it’s feels proper to discuss this with people who consider the data and then discuss, not annoyingly try to deny results in front of their eyes.”</p><p>“Very true.”</p><p>Lena sat in one of the chairs, as the two ladies beside her discussed a bit about each other’s work. She was a bit overwhelmed by the intellectual discussion so she left them while she zipped around glancing at the objects lying around. After a while, when their discussion finally ended, Lena joined the ladies as they ended the conversation.</p><p>“Hmm your hard light technology sounds interesting. I would love to see it.”</p><p>“Of course, after it is repaired, you are welcome to visualize the way anything can be created. Like I said, if I can think it, I can create it. Thank you Dr. Zhao. It was nice meeting you.”</p><p>“It was nice meeting you too, Satya. Huitou Jian.”</p><p>As everyone bid farewell, Lena guided Satya towards their last destination, their workout and sparring station, where they found Genji and Sojourn sparring with each other. Walking towards them, Lena greeted them as they stopped their sparring to welcome the arriving guests. Satya recognized Genji, from the first time she came to her senses and heard from Lena about how Genji watched over her when she was undergoing treatment and she expressed her heartfelt gratitude which Genji received with utmost respect. Their trip came to an end as Lena finally took Satya to her dormitory.</p><p>“Well that was for today. This your room Satya. Did you enjoy the tour of this place?”</p><p>Satya nodded her head in response as Lena gave a gleeful smile and finally departed, zipping around the corridors as Satya’s room closed. At that point, Athena addressed Satya.</p><p>“Good evening Miss Vaswani. Your room is prepared. You will be informed when dinner will be served. Until then you can have a proper rest.”</p><p>Satya nodded her head and moved to her bed as she closed her eyes and took a rest, reminiscing today’s events. Perhaps she had been lonely for such a long time, but meeting these people made her feel satisfied yet lost. As she pondered over various possibilities, she gradually fell to slumber, tired from the day’s journey.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It has been a couple a days since Satya started her process of recovery. She has now shifted completely from wheelchair to medical walkers and slowly been regaining the usage of her limbs. As per Angela’s instructions, she took medical hotsprings bath to facilitate the healing process. Her prosthetic arm was still damaged, so she has been given a normal prosthetic arm to support and balance her body. And every once in a while, other members helped her in locomotion. Satya was finally able to meet each of the available members personally and spent time with them, discussing about various topics. Today she was spending some time with Genji, who was helping her in the walking process.</p><p>“Be careful, Satya. Put a less bit of pressure on the walker legs and tilt your body so that your leg muscles would share the burden.”</p><p>Satya listened to his statement made calmly. Genji has been helping her immensely in this procedure. He was a man of few words, which may seem gloomy to other people, but his voice carried a sense of dry humor and tranquil. She hasn’t asked him about his cybernetic procedures, assuming there might be tragic story behind it. She also has never seen him out of his helmet, but preferred not to just ask him about that. Following his instructions, Satya tried to walk. Initially she felt more pain for the first few steps but after a while, she could walk better. Realizing that the instruction actually helped her, she nodded her head with a smile as gratitude towards all the help Genji has provided in her recovery. As her daily routine prescribed by Angela for practicing walking ended, Satya relaxed her body a bit, as Genji move forward to support her and guided her towards some comfy chairs, where they both took a seat to relax and then go about their activities.</p><p>“Thank you for your help during these sessions, Mr. Shimada. You have been a great assistance towards my recovery.”</p><p>“Thank you, but call me Genji. It’s fair in a way you allowed me to call you by your first name.”</p><p>“Okay Genji. I will humbly accept that request.”</p><p>They sat quite for a few minutes, when Satya out of her curiosity asked the question that has been bugging her.</p><p>“So, how did you get such extensive cybernetic modifications?”</p><p>Genji turned her head towards Satya, as the slit in his helmet glowed. Satya regretted her decision, thinking she might have crossed her line when she heard Genji give a friendly giggle, as he spoke out.</p><p>“Of course. But it is going to be a long story, if you are willing to listen to it.”</p><p>“Oh, well if it’s something you don’t want to share, you shouldn’t.”</p><p>“It’s okay. Everyone here knows my story. My entire history with Overwatch and everyone here is related to my cyborg modifcations.</p><p>Genji raised his hands to press on a button below his neck, as his helmet opened up completely. He removed his helmet and kept it aside, as Satya felt a chill looking at the handsome yet scarred face of the person beside her. Genji readjusting his position, started narrating his story.</p><p>“Well, I was born in Shimada clan, a highly notorious criminal organization responsible for various illegal operations around the world. Our clan held a very strong grasp in the underworld. I was trained as an assassin, from my childhood along with my elder brother, Hanzo.”</p><p>Satya listened to the shocking history about his birth, and wondered how an assassin from a crime family gets associated with Overwatch.</p><p>  “There are several incidents that happened between me and my brother. But after our father, Sojiro, died, we kind of became aloof of each other. Our clan members took it as a chance and convinced my brother to deal with me, as I didn’t fall in line. Long story short, we battled each other for a war of succession, with my brother trying to convince me to join him in building the crime empire and me rejecting it.”</p><p>Satya slowly became engrossed in the story, but saw melancholy in Genji’s eyes, as he gradually blinked his eyes, thinking of the painful memory.</p><p>“I always knew my brother was a better fighter, and he proved it that day. But the battle caused loss of three of my limbs and a severe slash across my torso. The clan members rejoiced and coaxed my brother to kill me, but I saw doubt and regret in his eyes, his hands shuddering as he tried to put me out of misery. I accepted my fate that day, but I wanted to survive out of rage and vengeance against the clan and perhaps my brother.”</p><p>Satya was extremely shocked upon hearing the gruesome story and could finally imagine the brutality of his situation. His cybernetic modifications were the only things that were perhaps keeping him alive. Though her face didn’t show any signs, she was feeling guilty of forcing Genji to relive those memories again.</p><p>“It was during that time that Overwatch found me. They had been keeping watch of a potential candidate to help them dismantle Shimada’s crime empire, so they recruited me by saving my life. It was during this moment that I first met Angela.”</p><p>A slight smile appeared on Genji’s face as he spoke Angela’s name. Satya tried to analyze the reason behind Genji’s smile and finally understood why. She gradually realized why Dr. Ziegler and Genji spent a lot of time together, while putting her palm on her smiling face.</p><p>“Angela saved me that day. I wasn’t supposed to survive, but rage is a hell of an anesthetic. It kept me alive. I wanted to walk, I wanted revenge against my family. Angela, with all her medical ingenuity saved me from a certain death. So I joined Overwatch as a gratitude. I helped them dismantle the Shimada’s empire and I got my revenge. I killed every single elder of the clan who forced our battle in hopes of weakening the main branch, so they could control the empire. But I never found my brother.”</p><p>“Wait what? Your brother wasn’t ruling the crime empire.”</p><p>Satya was confused. His brother, being a prick, brutally murdered him, yet didn’t stay to reap the awards. To clear her confusion, Genji answered her query.</p><p>“My brother, after my death, had left our family. He gave up his katana and took his bow, as a sign of repentance. I also searched for him to enact my vengeance, but never found out where he went. And even if I destroyed my clan, I never found peace and my heart still burnt with rage. So I left Overwatch just before it’s destruction on a soul searching journey, and eventually found Zenyatta, a Shambali monk.”</p><p>Satya was surprised by the mention of Shambali monks. She has heard of them and even visited their monastery in Nepal a few times. The peaceful and harmonious surroundings of that place was a perfect site for garnering of ideas. Agreeing with Genji’s choice, she replied in a satisfactory manner.</p><p>“Ahh, you chose quite a perfect place for spiritual healing. I have visited that place numerous times, though not in recent years. So what happened after that?”</p><p>Genji gave a smile and narrated further. “Zenyatta guided me in coming in terms with my new body, to become a bridge between man and machine. He also mentored in ways of spiritual therapy, what they call ‘passing into iris’ and the first thing I was taught to let go of my rage. My healing began when I forgave my brother, understanding that perhaps the blow he landed on me broke him as well. And slowly I became a different person. That’s all there to my story.”</p><p>Satya was impressed. She listened to this fascinating story about a person on the brink of death, destroying his clan out of vengeance yet has the capability to forgive his brother nad it brought her a sense of calm, a belief that perhaps one day she could forgive herself for the fire in favelas of Rio. As they were discussing, Angela came towards the room when she heard them talking about her and stopped to overhear their conversation.</p><p>“If I am not being rude, I observed that in our conversation, whenever you mentioned Dr. Ziegler, you sounded happy. Is there by any chance, you and Dr. Ziegler are close? You don’t have to answer if I am intruding.”</p><p>Genji gave a cheery chuckle and answered her question. “Something like that. Was it obvious?”</p><p>“Something like that.”</p><p>“Well my life  changed after I met with Angela. I found inner peace in my studies with Zenyatta, but my healing began with Angela. In my darkest times, it’s her smile that cheered me up and it’s her words that calmed my rage. It’s her opinions that mattered the most to me. I am ashamed that I left her to deal with the fall of Overwatch, like a selfish person. I hope I can be a better partner to her this time.”</p><p>Angela heart was a bit overwhelmed, hearing this honest confession. Her heart was filled with profound joy a she closed her eyes and remembered the memories of time spent with him. She knew his pain and at first wasn’t willing to accept that he left her in such a crisis. But over the course of time, she finally accepted that he needed to be away from the organization that rebuilt him, to actually heal. The first time she got his letter, with a feather in it, she finally understood that he has achieved tranquility. Over the course of these years, they remained in contact, though she wished he could be with her. But perhaps it was for the best and they can make up for the lost time now. Deciding their conversation has finally come to an end, she entered the room.</p><p>“So your locomotion exercises are over, Satya. I hope Genji is being a good teacher.”</p><p>Satya looked at Angela and smiled while answering her. “Of course, Dr. Ziegler. He has been quite an effective teacher and my progress has been satisfactory.”</p><p>“I am glad. Brigitte and Winston are waiting at you in workshop to discuss regarding your arm. After it is fixed, we can begin the required procedures for attaching your arm.”</p><p>“I will. Thank you Dr. Ziegler.”</p><p>“Call me Angela. We have known each other for quite some time now. If you have given me permission to call you Satya, its fair game to call me Angela. Don’t you think?”</p><p>Chuckling at her witty response, Satya replied with a joyful heart.” As you wish, Angela. Now I should leave you and Genji some space and leave for my business.”</p><p>Angela was a bit blushed on hearing Satya’s response as she mounted in her wheelchair and left, glancing at Angela with a sly smile. Then she went towards Genji, as he was putting his helmet and held his hand.</p><p>“Wait a bit, Genji.” As Genji gazed into Angela’s eyes, she moved forward gently and placed her lips on his and her arms on his chest. Genji closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist, slightly pulling her closer and embracing the passionate moment. They remained locked in their deep and passionate yet gentle kiss for a time when Angela finally broke the contact and looked into Genji’s eyes with an ecstatic smile. Genji was amazed by her boldness and asked his query. “ So why this all of a sudden?”</p><p>Angela rested her head on Genji’s chest as she gave a cheerful giggle and replied with her eyes closed.</p><p>“Nothing, just thinking about you.”</p><p>Genji understood her intentions and bowed his head in a way that his chin touched her head, as he gave a peck on her hair and embraced her for some time.   </p><p> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> Satya proceeded towards the workshop, where Winston and Brigitte were waiting for her. As she entered, she saw her prosthetic arm placed under a scanner with a detailed skeleton view of its inner structure being analyzed by the engineer and scientist. Completely observant of the arm, they didn’t hear Satya coming inside till she greeted them.</p><p>“Good morning, Winston, Brigitte.”</p><p>The duo, who were focused on their analysis, suddenly turned  back to see Satya behind them, as they fumbled to greet her.</p><p>“Hey, Satya. Sorry we were a bit focused on the analysis of your arm. It’s really fascinating.”</p><p>“Indeed Miss Vaswani. This technology is remarkable. As a scientist, I would love to analyze the machinations behind this hard light technology.”</p><p>Satya felt a bit proud. She may not agree with Vishkar’s despicable actions, but Vishkar really built a very unique and powerful technology, equally capable of creating and destroying. Realizing their excitement as intellectuals wishing to gain knowledge, she proceeded to ask about their observations.</p><p>“Of course, so what had been your observations?”</p><p>Brigitte answered first like a curious child answering her question. “First is the material. It seems to be quite robust but lightweight. There has been some shot of energy attacks on the arm but the arm isn’t actually damaged. Only certain neural wirings at it point of contact with your shoulder is damaged. Which is amazing as the arm is durable enough to sustain major damage without affecting its user.”</p><p>Winston chimed in as well, adding his statements. “Like Miss Lindholm  observed the outer structure of your equipment, I am more interested in the inner machinations of this device. How does the hard light technology works? Does it utilize the dual nature of photons? What is the potential of this device? So many intriguing questions arise.”</p><p> Satya was intrigued to learn about their curiosity to learn about an unseen technology. Trying her best to satisfy their queries, she talked.</p><p>“Well I can’t actually tell the inner machination. That is Vishkar’s patented secret. However, about the structure of my arm, it is made of a material, designed in the form of reinforced carbon fiber. The hard light technology is capable of replicating any material or object we can imagine and muster. Sometimes depending on an architech’s ability, they can create the fine molecular structure of any material available on earth using hard light and create objects possessing the same qualities as that of the original material. As a popular terminology, an architech ‘bends reality according to their will’. In fact I can recreate an entire fully functional engineering facility if given enough time. This reduces the material cost of our projects and allows the flexibility in object creation.”</p><p>Winston and Brigitte were impressed by the elegantly worded answer given by Satya. They then decided to start working on the repairs on the arm as Satya guided them through some of the nooks and crannies in the prosthetic arm. Their work went on for many hours as Winston and Brigitte carefully repaired the neural connections and other damages to the arm. Finally as the day drew near its end and their work came to an end, Lena comes in to and knocks at the door.</p><p>“Common guys, its dinner time.”</p><p>Satya was happy that her arm was finally fixed. It felt like an integral part of her, being attached to her body for so long and being devoid of it made her incomplete. The other two members beside her also responded to Lena’s invitation to dinner and they proceeded towards their dining room tired from today’s work.</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Next day, Satya met Angela, who was preparing the required equipment for reattaching the prosthetic arm. As Satya went and lied down on the bed for the operation to start, Angela took the required diagnosis of her body to determine whether her vitals were okay or any other aftereffects were still lingering. The devices showed a positive response, thus clearing all doubts Angela was having regarding the procedure. Putting her hand on Satya’s arm, she discussed regarding the procedure.</p><p>“Well most of your severe brain and body injuries are healed. You are ready for the procedure. Do you have any questions, Satya?”</p><p>Satya looked at Angela and nodded her head indicating she was feeling okay. After being reassured by her patient, Angela finally started the procedure. She applied sedative to let her rest and then started removing the spare prosthetic attached. After some time of careful removal of neural wirings from the old arm, Angela removed and then carefully attached her original hard light prosthetic arm. The operation continued for a couple of hours, as Angela delicately recalibrated her neural implants and the neural wirings of the arm, all the while continuously applying biotic nanoparticles to energize the developing neural cells attaching to the original system. She checked Satya’s brain condition as the procedure continued to check for any irregularities and so far none had occurred. Angela was happy with her treatment. After a couple of hours, the surgery finally ended and Satya was removed from sedatives to see her actual arm finally attached. She finally felt complete. To check whether that feeling is real,she spun her hand as the arm sprang back to life glowing with a blue color. Angela was a bit surprised and stopped her action to see Satya weaving something in her hands. She was mesmerized the way she weaved her hands and shapes began to appear. Satya, through very intricate movements of her hand, created a flower out her actions and Angela was assured as if she pulled something out of thin air like a magician.</p><p>“So this is the capability of hard light. I have to say I am impressed. Unglaublich.”</p><p>Satya nodded her head as she weaved out a symmetrically arranged flower bouquet and gave it to Angela. Angela was a bit surprised with this gesture but seeing the beauty of the creation and the effort behind it, she graciously accepted the gift. As Satya presented the gift to Angela, she bowed her head and  expressed her gratitude in a heartfelt manner.</p><p>“Thank you, Angela for saving my life. And making my body whole again. I was unsure whether this arm of mine can ever be attached again, but I am glad I met an exceptional surgeon and doctor who saved me from the brink of death and made me complete. I am eternally grateful for this.”</p><p>Angela graciously accepted her earnest gratitude and accepted her gift. As she instructed Satya to still take it easy, Satya created an exoskeleton around her legs which facilitated her movement, so that she no longer have to rely on any crutches or wheelchair. Angela then accompanied Satya as they talked about the way she created those objects and her unique hand motions when the whole base sounded with a warning alarm. Athena and Winston have requested for an emergency meeting and the two ladies responded accordingly.</p><p>As they arrived at the control room, they saw other joining with them. The atmosphere felt tense and everyone was unnerved as Winston explained the situation.</p><p>“As I had predicted, Null Sector have started full scale invasion across the world. And the first target seems to be Rio.”</p><p>Satya was terrified. Is it really happening? The fear of another omnic crisis is becoming real? And why Rio is being attacked first? Many questions were convoluted in her mind as Winston further explained the situation while turning on the screen.</p><p>“As you can see, Bull sector are deploying troops all over Rio. But the epicenter of attack seems to these favelas.”</p><p>Satya’s fears were aggravated as she saw Null Sector troopers attacking the civilians in favelas and setting defenses. She was confused as to why the Brazilian army has not intervened and why Vishkar is not using their forces to protect the favelas. As her mind scrambled with this thoughts, Winston explained the situation.</p><p>“We were contacted by Lúcio Correia dos Santos, the international DJ. He said that he had been defending the area but he can’t hold on for much longer. So it’s all hands on deck Rio is in danger. We have to respond. Everyone prep your equipment and meet Lena in the Aurora asap. Sojourn will stay here and provide logistics for this operation. This is it guys, the reason we all assembled. Move out. ”</p><p>Everyone scrambled towards preparing their equipment as Sojourn started preparing the systems to get a bird eye view of the incident. Satya, deciding to put herself to use trudged towards Sojourn.</p><p>“Sojourn. If its not too much, can I provide any support?”</p><p>Sojourn looked at Satya who was standing behind her and gave a nod of agreement as she replied to her query.</p><p>“Of course any helping hand is welcome.”</p><p>Satya then moved towards the large console and analyzed the situation brewing in Rio, wishing that the innocent people over there are safe.</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lena flew into the airspace of Rio with all members except Sojourn as she saw a huge carrier dropping enemy units into the favelas. As Echo activated the Aurora weapons to clear the path towards LZ, Lena flew the aircraft skillfully through enemy SAM defenses as they landed in a site bit far from the favelas. Unlocking her seatbelt, Lena indicated Echo to take control as primary pilot and moved out along with everyone as they disembarked the aircraft to secure the favelas and devise a strategy to recover the lost situation. As everyone prepared their equipment to proceed, Sojourn discussed the situation over their coms.</p><p>“Alright everyone, Athena has hacked into the surveillance systems and located our asset. The Null Sector forces are dug in the complicated streets of the favelas and setup a solid defense due to absence of any ground forces. Many civilians have not been evacuated yet. So we have to proceed in optimal manner. Lena you are on point. Being the fastest, you are required to reach our asset, Mr. Santos and back him up. Reinhardt will follow this narrow alleyway, clearing the forces along the way. Genji and Brigitte, you will clear this main section of Null Sector enemies and converge towards the asset. Mei and Mercy, you will follow an aerial path. I know Mei’s weapon has been vastly upgraded to freeze large areas, so they will be providing air support. Winston you have to proceed through the roofs clearing any SAM defenses along the way. All after completing your objectives have to converge on our asset locations. Then we can work out our strategy of dealing with the Null Sector carrier. Good luck everyone.”</p><p> “Copy that, Captain.”</p><p>AS everyone received their orders, they moved out to complete their mission parameters. Sojourn was observing their situations, although she couldn’t get a proper view due to signal interference set up by Null Sector across the area. As Sojourn troubled herself over the evolving predicament, Satya suggested something.</p><p>“If I may..”</p><p>Sojourn turned around to see Satya using her hardlight to create something. She was intrigued and asked her what she thought.</p><p>“What do you suggest?”</p><p>“I am pretty familiar with this area. If possible, based on surveillance information from Athena and Echo if she could provide a birdeye view from air, I can create a 3D model of the entire area and we can keep track of everyone.”</p><p>Sojourn was impressed with this amazing train of thought. A full view 3D surveillance of the area would keep them updated about the situation. Realizing the idea is perfect she authorized Satya to implement it.</p><p>“Alright. Echo, can you provide a stealthy overview of the entire area. I am sending you some stealth system schematics. Use them and give us a bird eye view of the area. Whatever information you gather, send it to Athena. Can you do it?”</p><p>Echo became active as she received her instructions and schematics. She immediately set the ship to emit lower heat signature to prevent getting caught by enemy troops and immediately flew towards the area up high, while implementing the stealth schematics to avoid getting caught. Athena started receiving instructions from Echo as she combined the data from hers’ and Echo’s surveillance and sent it to Satya’s visor. Satya started receiving the information and started creating the entire favelas on the console table beside her as Sojourn observed her handiwork. Within minutes, a dynamic replica of the area was created, as they detected real time enemy troop movements. Sojourn then contacted everyone to update them on the situation.</p><p>“Everyone can you send keep your position information to Athena at all times so that we can update you on enemy troop movements and situation of locations you are moving into?”</p><p>Everyone agreed to the update and turned on their locator. The 3D model now showed both enemy and ally movements in a precise manner, as Sojourn smiled, looking at the beautifully made reproduction of the entire situation.</p><p>“Well done, Satya. This is quite useful. Lack of precise information on enemy movements is a difficult problem we face in our missions. This will come in handy.”</p><p>Satya, while focused on manipulating the structures, suddenly turned towards as she heard Sojourn speak and immediately bowed her head in gratitude.</p><p>“Thank you. I have been in care of Overwatch for some time now. It is time I return the favor by supporting them in any manner.”</p><p>Sojourn nodded at her and then observed the situation, guiding everyone about enemy troops and escorting them towards the rendezvous point.  As the teams cleared the troops and moved towards the location, Sojourn observed that their asset on ground was being overrun and the path where Reinhardt walked in was blocked. Genji and Brigitte have cleared most troops in their location and Winston has taken out most of the SAM defenses in the area. Perceiving that they might have to do immediate insertion into the area, she immediately informed the team of new plans.</p><p>“Reinhardt your path is blocked. I am sending Echo your way with the Aurora. We might have to do an aerial insertion.”</p><p>“Ahh, directly entering the enemy fortress and destroying them. I love it captain.”</p><p>“I know. Brigitte, Echo will be picking you up. Join Reinhardt and land directly near our asset's location to start the assault. Genji, join Winston and move through the roofs to the location. Tracer is close to the location and Mei and Mercy are on the way as well. Hurry it up guys. We are losing our window fast.”</p><p>Echo activated the aircraft as it hovered in the air and navigated it towards Brigitte’s location to pick her up. With the absence of any SAM defenses, she immediately steered towards Reinhardt and picked him up, as the aircraft was navigated towards the location at a higher altitude to facilitate an aggressive insertion. Reinhardt and Brigitte interlocked their shields and prepared themselves to exit the plane.</p><p>“Ready, Brigitte.”</p><p>“Hmm. I was born ready.”</p><p>“Haha.. That’s the spirit.”</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Lucio was in a terrible situation. Ever since the attack has started, he has been busy, evacuating the civilians, destroying enemy troops and sending emergency messages for any help. As he swiftly moved through his turf, clearing the troops, he found it unnerving to see the never ending units being released by the mothership. He was feeling tired and he had no support from anyone. Using his sonic amplifier, he blew apart the enemy troops as he swiftly guided himself, dodging enemy fire and returning attack in terms of sonic blasts. But he was being overwhelmed by the enemy forces, as he took cover behind a pillar, wishing for any sort of help. At that moment, he saw a large shield dropping from the sky and loud laugh accompanying it. The shield hit some the enemy troops and crushed them and from it he saw a large flail moving and tearing through the troops as a large armored bearded old man swept his large hammer and a young armored woman pulled the flail while holding the shield. As the nearby units were destroyed, Lucio emerged from his location as he heard a voice zipping past him. He saw a young woman wielding two pistols zipping around in a trail of blue energy and quickly destroying the enemy units. As he was amazed by this, he saw a woman flying with angelic wings as she held another woman, who used her weapon to immediately freeze multiple troops in an instant. As more surprises to come, from another direction, an armored gorilla and a green cyborg wielding a sword just dropped down and swiftly tore through the defensive front line. Realizing their efficiency, Lucio immediately recognized that Overwatch has responded to his message. Felling a relief in his heart, he immediately joined the zipping lady firing at the troops and joined her in destroying the remaining forces.</p><p>“So, how is Overwatch enjoying our city?”</p><p>“It is beautiful, except for all the killer robots.”</p><p>“Yeah, I know, right. No one likes uninvited guests.”</p><p>As they were chattering, the armored lady shielded them and used the flail of her mace, joining the conversation.</p><p>“Yeah they are the worst.”</p><p>As they were chattering, they heard the loud cheery voice of the large armored man, as he jumped high while wielding the hammer atop his head chiding them/</p><p>“You young people talk too much.”</p><p>Reinhardt then slammed his hammer into the ground, shattering the enemy forces and wrecking them. As the entire area is cleared of enemy troops, everyone joined Lucio in discussing about the situation, as Winston spoke up first.</p><p>“Looks like we are clear.”</p><p>“I won’t be celebrating just yet. Those things, they will just keep coming. We have get off the streets. Common, follow me.”</p><p>Lucio guided everyone to his hideout for some respite, as he welcomed them to his place. But Lena understanding the urgency of the situation, immediately replied.</p><p>“We don’t have much time. The civilians can’t hold out much longer. We need a plan.”</p><p>“Well that large ship has been pumping out troops ever since it got here. If we can stop that ship, maybe we can save our city.”</p><p> At this point, Reinhardt joined in as he described his ridiculous plan. “Right so we fly up there, smash through anything that gets in our way and put them out of business.”</p><p>Lucio was confounded after listening to the so called plan, which seemed more like frontal attack without any strategy. He rambled a bit about the crazy plan they were discussing.</p><p>“Is that dude serious?”</p><p>Brigitte joined in on his rambling “You know, we can never tell.” as Genji agreed, nodding his head and waving his hand. Reinhardt, unaware of their rambling, gave orders to his teammates.</p><p>“Genji, Brigitte keep the enemy busy, while Winston and Mercy can evacuate the civilians to safety while Echo brings in the shuttle. Tracer, Mei you are with me. We are getting aboard that ship with our friend uhhh.”</p><p>Lucio moves towards them and decides to join in their ridiculous plan, as he introduced himself.</p><p>“The name’s Lucio. Welcome to Rio.”</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> Satya contemplated the situation in Rio. She was glad that many civilians were rescued and Overwatch was launching a three pronged strategy of distraction, rescue and frontal attack to deal with the situation, which seemed wise although she commented on the insanity of the frontal attack plan.</p><p>“Is this plan viable? It seems a bit insane.”</p><p>Sojourn gave a chuckle as she commented on her observation. “That’s how he rolls. And it always works for some reason. Until it’s a stealth mission, Reinhardt is one of the best field agents of Overwatch. I mean he was one of the original members.”</p><p>Satya was impressed that somehow he was always successful with these chaotic plans  and then contemplated the situation regarding Lucio, as she mentioned about him.</p><p>“I am not surprised Lucio was defending the favelas. This is his turf in Rio.”</p><p>“Oh, you know him?”</p><p>“Hmm. Let’s just say we have a history.”</p><p>“Okay. Anything you want to share.”</p><p>“Well everyone will come to know once he joins Overwatch.”</p><p>Sojourn didn’t proceed with her line of questioning, assuming some troubled history between them and decided to focus on the situation at hand as Reinhardt’s team moved out towards the beach.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So its going to be two chapters describing the Rio situation as revealed in Overwatch 2 gameplay demo with some description of what the other teammates also did during that demo gameplay. The chapter would have been big otherwise and I am trying to keep each chapter within 2k-3k range. As usual, give feedback so that I can improve upon the story.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reinhardt’s team proceeded to move towards the beach as the other teams advanced towards their respective positions to complete their mission parameters. Lucio guided the members of his team through a locked club towards the beach as he narrated the situation to others.</p><p>“We need to take out the mother ship and bring the situation under control.”</p><p>Lena chimed in, assuring Lucio that they will help in whatever way they can. “We will do whatever it takes.” Lucio answered her assurance with a hopeful stare. “I am counting on it. Here, this club will provide a shorter way of reaching the beach.”</p><p>Echo navigated the shuttle through the airspace, but encountered heavy resistance. She notified her teammates about her situation and informed them to clear the troops around the beach for her to land.</p><p>At the same time, the team led by Reinhardt entered the club when several Null Sector Troops broke through the glass ceiling and attacked them. Lucio, panicked by the situation warned them with a loud voice. “Nullifiers incoming.”</p><p>Tracer and Lucio displaced sideways, dodging the enemy attacks and moving in a zig zag fashion while shooting the nullifier and destroying them. At the same time, Reinhardt raised his shield, blocking the attacks with Mei behind him guarding his back. She froze the enemy troops, allowing Reinhardt to put down his shield and swing his hammer horizontally, destroying the troops in a single hit. During that time several nullifier shot at Reinhardt, with his shield down when Mei raised an ice wall that blocked the shots. Reinhardt immediately charged his hammer to fire his flaming strike and blasted through those nullifiers. AS they kept destroying the enemy troops, a different omnic unit arrived in the area as Reinhardt warned everyone. “A new type of enemy troops are dropping at our location.”</p><p> Lucio, gliding across the floor around the club, blasting the troops with sonic blast while sending audio signals to their ears, as everyone felt their fatigue reducing and them feeling energetic. He informed them about the new enemy troops known as Skirmishers as Reinhardt charged against one of them, pinning them against the wall. Mei immediately summoned a protective ice barrier around herself, flash freezing the skirmishers units around her. Reinhardt, destroying the pinned skirmishers immediately jumped in air and slammed his hammer, with its rocket giving the extra boost, which destroyed all the frozen skirmisher units. Mei then came out of her ice barrier, as Reinhardt nodded her with praise regarding her decisive action of freezing the units. Imitating the same strategy, Lucio shoved the remaining nullifiers in the area to a single location, as Tracer immediately threw her pulse bomb on the converged troops and recalled herself, as the bomb obliterated the enemy troops.</p><p>With all the enemies neutralized, the team got some relief as they slowly started moving towards their destination. During this time, Lucio posed a question to everyone.</p><p>“We could have used Overwatch the last few years. The worlds been falling apart.” Reinhardt scoffed and then answered to his query “You have to thank Petras Act for that. None of this would have happened if we wouldn’t have been shut down.”</p><p>“But you are heroes. You don’t have to bow down to some politicians. That’s not the Overwatch I know.”</p><p>Listening to this statement, Sojourn scoffed and spoke to Satya.</p><p>“Like it would be that easy.”</p><p>Satya who was listening to Lucio, giggled a little after listening to Sojourn’s retort. Sojourn, understanding that Satya reinforced what she said, she replied with vigor.</p><p>“I know right. As if Overwatch was an outlaw organization of heroes acting outside the boundaries of UN. Overwatch was created under UN regulations, to gather an elite task force for global peacekeeping operations. Even if we broke laws, we did it with assurance that we completed our mission effectively. The previous director of Overwatch was buried with bureaucratic crap due to actions of our agents so many times.”</p><p>Satya nodded her head in agreement. She knew Lucio’s ideology of chaotic freedom without responsibility, so his response that Overwatch being heroes that shouldn’t be bound by rules isn’t that far fetching. She was glad that members of Overwatch aren’t naïve ideologists with hero grandeur, who performed their duties while still following rules. As she pondered over the discussion she had with Sojourn, the team has reached outside fighting nullifiers and skirmishers, as they destroyed the favelas. Suddenly she heard Lucio speak something that caught her attention.</p><p>“Even Vishkar couldn’t mess up my city that bad.” Satya rolled her eyes at this statement as the team moved through the warzone, destroying the troops and moving through the cleared houses. The incoming troops destroyed the favelas structures and Satya was feeling pissed about it, when Lucio described the frustration she too was feeling.</p><p>“Dammit they destroyed my favorite food shop. These null troopers are wrecking my city.”</p><p>“Not on our watch. Echo” Lena assured Lucio that they will protect Rio from Null Sector as they moved closer to their extraction area.</p><p>“Echo we need a ride out of here. Are you near the LZ?”</p><p>Echo who was now navigating towards the destination, assured Tracer that she is moving towards the extraction site. Suddenly, Sojourn warned them of trouble in the next area as three larger enemy units were dropping at their location. Lucio then yelled about the new enemy troops that arrived at their location.</p><p>“Watch out for the Obliterators.”</p><p>Everyone dispersed from their formation as the obliterator fired beams from its two hand cannons. Other nullifiers and skirmishers also landed in the area as the team started taking out the ground troops while dodging or blocking the obliterators’ beams. Tracer immediately moved behind the obliterator and planted the pulse bomb onto one of its cannons as she recalled and the bomb took out one of the cannons as the obliterator staggered. Immediately Mei froze the other cannon as Lucio fired a stronger sonic blast that destroyed the other cannon arm, causing the destruction of the obliterator. Meanwhile, Reinhardt blocked the ground and aerial blasts being initiated by nullifiers and skirmishers in the area. Realizing his shield might fail, he charged against the ground troops and pinned to the wall, followed by a horizontal swing that destroyed the units. As the skirmishers jumped back in air creating some space, Reinhardt turned back charging his hammer and fired multiple flaming strikes that tore through the units. The other members followed the same strategy against the other obliterators. As the team cleared the area and waited for a respite, Mei shared her troubling concerns.</p><p>“There are so many of them. And these stacks are now popping up all over the world. What do we do?”</p><p>“We have no other choice than to fight. If we can defeat them here in Rio, then we can be hopeful to win against them.” Lucio’s encouraging words soothed Mei, as Tracer joined their conversation.</p><p>“I like the sound of that.” As the enemy troops were eliminated, Tracer talked with Lucio. “Area clear. Lucio, where to now?”</p><p>“We are nearing the beach. But be careful, it is crawling with enemy forces.”</p><p>“Echo, what is the sitrep?”</p><p>“There are multiple orbiters in the area hovering about and enemy troops have occupied the area. The beach need to be cleared before I can land.”</p><p>Reinhardt and his team arrived at the beach to see the enemy units as he announced his intention. “Flying pests, knock them out of the sky.”</p><p>The team followed a different strategy this time, staying closer to each other in an open field while maintaining a diamond formation and destroying the units. Lucio at that time activated his sound barrier “Oh lets break it down.” Slamming his sonic weapon on the ground as the team acquired shields to move forward more bravely and destroyed the orbiters, nullifiers and skirmishers in the area. Clearing the area of enemy units, Tracer called for extraction, as they heard Echo’s announcement. “Landing sequence initiated.”</p><p>As the shuttle landed, everyone boarded the shuttle quickly as Echo asked Tracer to take the primary control. The shuttle then steered towards the command ship as it was attacked by several of the flying enemies. Tracer, frustrated at Echo’s driving, took the primary pilot as they both drove the aircraft through the fire towards the entrance of command ship. Once aboard, Reinhardt ordered Echo to extract the other members and assist them in their tasks.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>(At the same time as Reinhardt’s team moving towards the beach)</p><p>Genji and Brigitte moved towards their respective location as the area was filled with enemy units. As soon as they landed, they fired on both of them. Brigitte raised her shield to block the shots, while Genji moved swiftly while parrying the blasts and slashing through the units using his wakizashi. Brigitte then dashed forward and swung her mace as the flail pierced and tore through the nullifiers.  Brigitte then called Genji to reinforce him with armor, as Genji finished last of his enemies, throwing shurikens at their heads. Genji swiftly moved to Brigitte as she reinforced him with armor and more enemy troops joined in as they saw a new type of enemy, the skirmishers flying in the air and firing rockets. Genji swiftly dodged and then parried the rocket towards the unit which exploded , damaging the nearby troops and finished them with a flurry of shurikens aimed towards their heads. Brigitte then performed a whipshot towards another one of skirmishers and destroyed its torso, then swung the flail towing the damaged skirmishers, hitting the other nullifiers.</p><p>Genji and Brigitte moved forward clearing enemy troops falling from the sky. Genji was impressed with Brigitte’s battle tactics as he praised her.</p><p>“I am impressed Brigitte. You are becoming a more fearsome knight with each battle.”</p><p>“Thanks, my practice is paying off.”</p><p>“With your help, we will be able to clear the area soon enough for rescuing the civilians.”</p><p>As they chattered with themselves, Genji saw a lady with a child trapped beneath the debris. There were nullifiers roaming the area, attacking anything that moved. Suddenly the child cried and the nullifiers’ attention was shifted towards the trapped pair. They moved in to attack the civilians as the lady was scared and closed her eyes. Suddenly she found herself alive and opened her eyes to see the enemy troopers standing destroyed and a green cyborg standing in front of them.</p><p>Genji as he saw the situation unfold, immediately jumped in front of them and simultaneously parried all the three blasts towards the units, damaging them. As soon as they were disabled, Brigitte moved in and swung her flail destroying the units. Genji then removed the debris and gave a helping hand to the lady. But the lady was frightened and didn’t take his help. Understanding the situation, Genji requested Brigitte to move them and give emergency treatment. Brigitte felt awful regarding the way he was treated, but silently helped the victims and reassured them as she gave them the basic first aid. Genji then contacted Sojourn.</p><p>“Sojourn, can you determine if any civilians are caught in crossfire or debris? We can save them and send them for rescue towards Mercy.”</p><p>“Of course, sending you the locations now. I have isolated four locations. You have to move fast. Mercy and Winston have set up a first responder camp and a few medics have also joined them. You can gather all the victims and guide them towards the camp, then meet up with Echo.”</p><p>“Roger that, Captain.”</p><p>Genji ended the call as he got the locations on his visor. He asked Brigitte to gather the victims and guide them towards the camp, as they clear the areas and rescue the civilians. Brigitte nodded her head, but stopped him by his jacket and spoke with regret.</p><p>“I am sorry, Genji.”</p><p>Genji looked at Brigitte and bowed his head as he replied to her melancholic reply.</p><p>“It’s okay. I have grown accustomed to it.”</p><p>Saying this, Genji moved forward to clear the locations on his map as Brigitte proceeded towards the camp, holding the lady and the child.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Mercy and Winston have moved in to safer area and set up a first responder camp. Medics soon arrived at the location and as soon as they saw Mercy, they recognized her. Mercy requested them in setting up the camp and they gladly complied.  They already found many hurt civilians and started required treatment on them. Winston established a perimeter around the camp, setting up his barrier to prevent any incoming attacks on the camp and guarded it with his tesla cannon in hand. Mercy and the other medics started preliminary treatment of the injured civilians. During that time, Sojourn informed them that Brigitte is bringing in more civilians trapped in debris and asked Winston in assisting her. Winston immediately prepared himself to receive Brigitte as she arrived with her shields up and back towards Winston defending the two injured civilians. Winston immediately moved in and slammed his hands on the enemy units destroying them. Brigitte then handed over the victims and informed them of the current situation and proceeded towards other sites to receive the civilians. Satya then informed Brigitte that Genji has already destroyed enemy troops at the four locations and the civilians are currently following him. However he is pinned down by Obliterators’ suppressive fire and needs assistance and the camp area was secured and free of any Null Sector presence. Sojourn then advises both Winston and Brigitte to go to Genji’s location and provide assistance. Understanding the situation, Winston and Brigitte advanced towards the location, as Mercy continued her treatment using her Caduceus staff to heal the injured quickly and effectively.</p><p>Genji was defending about twenty civilians rescued from the four locations, as he continuously parried and deflected the enemy fire to prevent it from hitting any civilians. His hands felt tied, as the civilians were scared, hiding behind a wall and he has no way of attacking without putting them at risk. Fatigue was starting to overcome him. As he felt his senses failing, a barrier projector immediately was put in his location as Winston and Brigitte immediately dropped and secured the civilians. Brigitte threw a repair pack towards Genji, healing him as Genji felt energized. Deciding  it was time, he drew his katana from the back.</p><p>“Ryujin no ken yo kurae.”</p><p>A green dragon emerged from Genji’s katana as he immediately moved forward, slicing through the enemies’ armor like butter and cut the Obliterators in two. Then he swung his blade in a wide arc, releasing green slashes of energy that bifurcated the enemies in front of him. The civilians, were shook with this display of power as the children enjoyed the show, howling “That was so cool. He is such a cool green cyborg ninja.” Genji then sheathed his katana, as everyone moved towards the camp, when they received a notification that Echo will be picking them.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> Reinhardt’s team has broken through Null Sector’s front line defenses. As instructed by Mei, they have moved towards central chamber that contained the reactor power core and they planned to disrupt it. On their way, they also discovered that these command ships are mobile omnic factories, which acted like a small scale Omnium to create the infinite bot army. Athena recorded these data in her database as they would be useful in future. As they reached the central chamber, they found the power core, which was obviously defended by large density of enemy forces. As they prepared themselves for a fight of attrition, they decided to overload the reactor core and as it emerged, Tracer would stick her pulse bomb to destroy it completely. They destroyed the enemy troops, causing overloading of the reactor core as it emerged from it’s protective chamber. Mei immediately froze the core as Tracer put a pulse bomb inside it, before the ice melted and the reactor core retreated back into it’s protective chamber, with the bomb inside it. At this time, a new enemy type entered the chamber. It was huge, built like a heavyweight champion, with a weapon in its left arm and electromagnetic fist on its right. As Reinhardt looked at the enemy with a vigor, he declared his intention.</p><p>“Now this is my kind of fight.”</p><p>Lucio immediately activated his sonic shields as Mei froze the enemy which Lucio termed as Behemoth.  Reinhardt immediately charged the enemy, pinning him down against a wall as the Behemoth staggered. He raised his right arm to slam on Reinhardt with an EM pulse, but Reinhardt blocked it with his shield and swung his hammer to hit his head. At that moment, the pulse bomb exploded, causing the chamber to be destroyed as the reactor core emerged. Mei immediately froze the core while Lucio fired his strongest sonic blast, destroying the core. Simultaneously, Reinhardt tackled the Behemoth and threw to a wall and Tracer put another pulse bomb on its damaged body and retreated. As the bomb exploded, the Behemoth unit was disabled and Reinhardt jumped and slammed his rocket hammer, shattering it to pieces.</p><p>As the core was destroyed, the command ship started to destabilize from its position, warning them it was time to escape. They started to run towards the exit as Lucio sped up everyone with his music to move faster and Tracer asked Echo to bring the shuttle to them. Echo answered that she has picked up the other members and is now proceeding towards the command ship, reaching in 60 seconds. Everyone ran towards the exit, as Tracer saw the shuttle door open with other members awaiting them. Tracer first took point as she used her blink to immediately reach the shuttle. Reinhardt used his thrusters to gain a running jump and held Mei’s hand, taking her as she created an ice path to give a forward boost to Reinhardt as he also entered the ship. Lucio was last. He glided across the ship surface, dodging the fires and debris and was about to reach the shuttle by jumping, when the entrance suddenly exploded, engulfing him in fire. Mei cried out in agony, as she shouted his name and everyone was shook in pain and confusion.</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> Satya saw in horror as she saw Lucio engulfed in an explosion. She closed her eyes, expecting a miracle when the fire cleared. At that moment, Sojourn and Satya watched in terrifying wonder as Lucio’s bloodied senseless body came out of the explosion, his hands still on his weapon as he started plummeting to ground. Mercy immediately activated her Valkyrie suit and flew down to catch Lucio. She activated the  Valkyrie mode which enhanced the speed of her suit as she quickly reached Lucio and held him  by his waist, flying towards the beach and landing gracefully. She checked for pulse finding that he has been severely injured, so she laid him on the ground and activated her staff, transferring biotic nano particles into his body through her staff and her suit to re energize his healing process. Echo immediately closed the door and navigated the shuttle towards the beach where Mercy has landed. As the shuttle landed, everyone immediately moved towards their injured teammate being treated by Mercy. Mei with tears in her eyes, asked if he was doing okay, which Mercy answered with a smile, elevating everyone’s worries.</p><p>“He is fine. He is extremely injured and displaced his arm, but nothing life threatening. I think he activated his sonic shields just before he got caught in explosion, which probably saved his life.”</p><p>Everyone felt relieved upon hearing the situation, even the ones on base. Sojourn bent down on the console and put her face between her palms, unable to believe that they won against such unprecedented odds. Satya was glad that everyone was safe, though her face didn’t register it that profoundly. Their celebration grew wilder, as they saw the command ship destroyed in the air and all the enemy forces being deactivated and falling into the sea. They cheered in great happiness, as Reinhardt picked both Tracer and Mei and raised them in celebration, both of them raising their hands and howling in joy. They defeated the Null Sector army in Rio and that is a matter of celebration.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This marks the end of Rio situation. Next chapter we will deal with aftermath and various other twists and turns so stay tuned.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The war in Rio was over. Overwatch, against all unprecedented odds won its first victory against Null Sector. Lucio was shifted to the first responder camp set up by Mercy and Winston and was undergoing treatment for his injuries. All the other members were helping in clearing the debris in the areas, helping out the city authorities who arrived a few moments later after their victory, in whatever way they can. As the day moved on, Lucio woke from his injuries and everyone was glad to see him alive and awake. Tracer and Mei went to him first and hug him for his recovery, with Mei being teary eyed for a few minutes. Slowly the other guys joined in, congratulating Lucio on his speedy recovery. Lucio was ecstatic to receive such kind words, but still asked what happened after the explosion. At that time mercy came forward to answer his queries.</p><p>“Well, as you were caught in the explosion, we all presumed something svere happened to you. As the explosion cleared however, you started plummeting to the ground, severely injured with your left arm seemingly broken. So I flew as quickly as I can towards you, caught you and then landed safely at the beach where I started preliminary treatment. Fortunately you had activated your sound barrier, which provided the most protection. Also the command ship was destroyed and the Null Sector troops were deactivated. So you can say that we won.”</p><p>Lucio listened to the entire conversation and took a bit of time to take all of it. Then he breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t considered that anyone would respond to his emergency call, let alone assist him in saving Rio. But here he was, safe along with several civilians and Null Sector forces were decimated. He was more than happy and he gave a big howl of joy over their victory joined by others like Brigitte and Tracer. As they discussed further, Winston adjusted his glasses and asked Lucio an important question.</p><p>“Mr Santos. As we saw today, Overwatch is capable of defending against Null Sector attacks. But we are still short of effective members. We are still very few. We were impressed with how you held your own in these troubling times, defending your city. It would be our pleasure if you could join Overwatch as an agent and help defend the world against a global war, if it’s okay with you.”</p><p>Lucio looked at Winston and then smiled, nodding his head. He then answered his question. “Of course. I would be glad to join Overwatch. If my skills can help stop this global invasion, then I am all up for it.”</p><p>Everyone were glad to learn his response as Reinhardt moved first to shake his hand as a gratitude for joining their team, praising that he will be an invaluable member of the team. Lucio was overwhelmed by this positive response shown by these heroes, some of whom he personally admired. They decided to help the Rio authorities and give Lucio time to pack whatever he needs, then they will depart for Gibraltar.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Back in watchpoint, Athena was compiling all the information they gathered about Null Sector for future use. Sojourn was glad the mission was successful. She sat in her chair as she saw Satya deactivate the entire surveillance structure. Sojourn was impressed with Satya’s performance. Taking in all the auditory and visual information and compiling them to create a real time 3d construct of an entire area, with pin point locations of entities, it wasn’t an easy task to process so much information with that efficiency.</p><p>“Very impressive work, Satya. Without you we couldn’t have acquired the real time information about the area and guided our troops effectively in saving these many lives. That was some mighty fine work. Well done.”</p><p>Satya was glad her work impressed Sojourn, who seemed a bit of tough and uncompromising person. She bowed her head and accepted her praise.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“Though If I am not offending you, I would like to ask you something.”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“Its about your hand movements while you were working with your hardlight constructs.”</p><p> Satya was a bit confused with the statement. Was there something odd the way her hands moved while working? Determined to clear this confusion, she asked Sojourn about her hands.</p><p>“What about them?”</p><p>“They seemed very familiar. So to say, similar to classical dance movements. I am a bit of an expert in several dance forms around the world, so let’s just say the way you moved your hands, it seemed captivating.”</p><p>Satya was relieved by her observation. It is rare for people to see the way she worked uniquely, even amongst her peers. She replied to Sojourn, trying to validate her observation.</p><p>“Yes, they are very much inspired from dance forms from my country, namely Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam. When I was training in Vishkar, I found out that classical dance movements allowed me more freedom to create hardlight constructs in contrast to normal movements others were trained in. So over the years I have mastered as few other dance forms, with each of them providing a different set of architectural uniqueness. I am impressed. You noticed all this while guiding our forces and inspecting the entire operation. You must be  experienced as an operation supervisor.”</p><p>“Well I was the captain of a task force in Overwatch, comprised of Tracer, Genji, Winston and Mercy. We conducted sevral raids on Talon agents and also managed to defeat and capture Doomfist.”</p><p>“Doomfist. Really, that is very impressive.”</p><p> “Well if you have to praise someone in that regard, you should praise Winston.”</p><p>“Wait, the scientist Winston. But he looks very calm and composed. I suppose he devised a complicated strategy to defeat him.”</p><p>“Nope, he fought him head on. Exchanging fists. Direct combat. He is a genetically engineered gorilla possessing super intelligence but augmented strength of gorilla. While during his research, he is calm and composed, as a respected scientist. But as a field agent he relies more on his brute strength.”</p><p>Satya was astonished. She didn’t expect Winston’s way of combat being head on. So many things have surprised her ever since she came to Overwatch. Compared to the days in Vishkar, where she had to immerse herself in work as there had to be no such distractions, days spent in Overwatch have been interesting. She then created a hard light chair for herself and sat on it, crossing her legs and putting both her hands on her knees, just the way she is used to waiting what other interesting thing she will observe amongst these people.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>The team arrived in Gibraltar’s hangar, as Lena landed the Aurora shuttle in the cockpit. Everyone was tired and exhausted but they still decided to regroup in the central chambers. Lena decided to regroup, refresh and then work on fixing the shuttle as it took damage in their fights. She has decided that she will always fly the shuttle as primary and not give control to others, believing they might wreck it. However she still asks Echo to come help her when they will be repairing the damages. Genji and Brigitte helped Lucio move his luggage and they have been talking with him along with Mei, discussing many different things, laughing and joking all the trip. As they arrived Sojourn welcomed them congratulating them on their first successful victory and informed Winston that UN has called for a meeting with both of them within 3 hours. So they will regroup in the control room, discuss and then go for refreshment. She also welcomed Lucio and assigned him a room in the guest quarters, so that he can keep his belongings.</p><p>After half an hour, everyone assembled in the control room. Lucio was the last one to arrive along with Genji, Mei and Brigitte who accompanied him, pertaining to his injuries. As he arrived in the control room, someone there caught his eyes as Lucio face suddenly became grave and serious, with a face reeking of disgust. Mei was shocked at this display of emotions as she inquired Lucio.</p><p>“Lucio, is there a problem?”</p><p>Lucio then looked at Mei and then everyone as he spoke in an angry voice, pointing his finger.</p><p>“What is this Vishkar’s lapdog doing here?”</p><p>Everyone was stupefied with this display of anger from Lucio. As they saw who he pointed his finger at, they pointed their eyes as the person, Satya Vaswani, stood up from her chair and  turned around to speak.</p><p>“Hello Mr. Lucio Santos.”</p><p>Tension in the room grew as everyone stood silent, contemplating what just happened. Do these two know each other? Is there a bad blood between them? As they wondered about these thoughts, Lucio lashed out.</p><p>“What are you doing here Vaswani? Did Vishkar send you to spy on Overwatch? Are you here to lecture everyone about the dichotomy of order and chaos as you diss them? Are you here to invalidate them, making them believe that Vishkar is building a better future for humanity? Tell them that I stole Vishkar’s tech, when the core tech was my father’s life work, which Vishkar stole and patented and ruined my father’s life? Tell me Vaswani. Why are you here, huh?”</p><p> Satya stayed silent. She exactly didn’t have any retort to reply with. She bowed down her head, thinking about her serious conversation with Lucio all those years ago, where she belittled him, terming her as a ‘street ruffian’. Everything Lucio warned her about Vishkar, they all came true. She didn’t have any facts to disprove him. As she stayed silent, Lucio continued to lash out.</p><p>“What Vaswani? No rhetorical remark. No belittling and derogating me. What did you call me last time? Ah yes a ‘street ruffian’, a ‘thief’, an ‘anarchist’. What, no insulting remark today? Did cat got your tongue?”</p><p> Everyone was now feeling pissed regarding this display. Lucio, unbeknownst to Satya’s dilemma continued biting her head off. As they decided to intervene and end this charade, Lena came between them.</p><p>“Easy there, Lucio. I don’t know what happened between you two. But you have no right to insult someone like that. You need to calm down.”</p><p>“Lena, please don’t take her support. You have no idea what kind of snake she is. She is definitely here to spy on Overwatch on Vishkar’s behalf. You can’t possibly trust this vixen.”</p><p>Lena finally lost her temper. She usually is a cheerful person, but if her friends are hurt or insulted she becomes really furious to defend them. In response to Lucio’s hurtful words, Lena tore into Lucio, in a tone different from her usual cheery tone.</p><p>“Enough, Lucio. This has gone far too long. For your information, Satya is on run from Vishkar. She defected from them.”</p><p>Lucio was dumfounded for a few minutes. He didn’t expect this information. As he tried to ponder over the information, Lena continued tearing into him.</p><p>“Vishkar tried to murder her, when they found out she was defecting. Tried to fry her brain, make her a mindless drone. When that didn’t work they chased her down like a criminal and brutally wounded her. We found her close to the brink of death. If not for Dr. Ziegler here, we might have lost her. So bugger off, mate.”</p><p>Lena caught her breath after her outburst, as she tried to sit down. This was one of those rare times she has a surge of raging moments come out of her mind. She tried to calm herself down, as too much aggression affected her fragile mental state, pertaining to her condition of chronal dissociation. The control room featured an awkward silence, which was broken as Satya spoke up, with a regretful tone.</p><p>“Lucio. I apologize for every derogatory thing I said to you that day. All your warnings about Vishkar, they came true. I was a pawn of Vishkar, who believed blindly in their false ideals and worked tirelessly to fulfill their visions. Even when they committed crimes, I saw them as the necessary evil required to make the world a better place. But I was wrong all along. So I apologize for being a blind idealist and for belittling you. Now if everyone will excuse me, I need to find some space.”</p><p>Satya started to leave the place. At that moment Lucio saw something that shook him, she had these exoskeleton supports on her legs, as she struggled to walk outside, limping all the way. Lena stood up to help her, but Reinhardt held her back, indicating to give her some space. Sojourn then ordered Mei and Brigitte to guide Lucio to his room. As he left the premises, Sojourn spoke up.</p><p>“Oof, that was intense. And I have never seen you angry, Lena.”</p><p>Lena looked at Sojourn then hid her face within her hands, apologizing for her outburst. Sojourn, reminding herself of the conversation she had with Satya during the operation, suddenly spoke up.</p><p>“So that’s what she meant. I had no idea they have a rivalry thing going.”</p><p>Mercy chimed in at this information. “Wait, you knew something like this would happen. Why didn’t you stop it?”</p><p>“What? No I only said that Satya told me she had some history with him. I didn’t exactly know what kind. She said to wait for this moment perhaps.”</p><p>“More like a history of throat cut rivalry.”</p><p>“Okay guys, go get some rest and refreshed for now. Winston, if you are okay, we need to join a meeting with UN delegates regarding revoking Petras Act. Athena has compiled all the information.”</p><p> Winston immediately understood the situation. Blowing on his glasses, he asked Lena where she has kept the peanut butter and Lena sighed and opened up the sofa drawer to give him one, as everyone retreated to their rooms. Lena was concerned about where Satya went, when her concerns were answered by Angela as well.</p><p>“Worried about Satya?”</p><p>“Yeah, doctor.”</p><p>“Me too. C’mon we can freshen up then we will go find her.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Satya walked limply, with the hardlight exoskeleton on her legs supporting her. She proceeded outside to search for an isolated and empty place, to calm her mind. Last time when she was accompanied by Lena while exploring the watchpoint, she had observed an isolated place high in the roof, facing towards the sea. She had decided that place to be her place of solace, if she ever wanted to pacify her mind. She, feeling miserable right now decided to spend some time to rearrange her wandering frustrated thoughts, then get back to everyone. Reaching near the ground. She created a teleporter to that place and walked through, reaching that location. The cool sea breeze instantly hit her face and she felt a sense of tranquility passing over her body. Taking a few steps forward, she created her signature hardlight chair and rested upon it. Crossing her legs with much difficulty, she finally settled down, pondering over the events that transpired with Lucio.</p><p>She didn’t feel angry towards Lucio. His fury was justified. She was frustrated that everything Lucio ever said to him in their prior conversation, it came true. Satya closed her eyes, recalling the harsh way she talked to him, glorifying Vishkar and condemning his rebellious actions. She felt disgrace towards her animosity and her indoctrinated beliefs that Vishkar stood for order. Her heart felt heavy with guilt and sorrow as she condemned herself for justifying Vishkar’s atrocities for greater good. Finally opening her eyes, she looked towards the horizon as the sun was setting, considering what path she should follow.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> Genji, Mei and Brigitte led Lucio to his room. Lucio felt devastated. He let his past conversations with Satya cloud his judgment regarding her allegiance. After learning the truth about her near demise, he reprimanded himself for losing his cool. Holding his injured left hand using his right by the elbow, he entered his quarters as the others followed him. He sat in the chair provided, fiddling his thumbs when he asked them about her situation.</p><p>“So what happened with her?”</p><p>The three persons standing in front of him glanced at each other confusingly, as Genji explained the situation.</p><p>“About four weeks ago, Satya Vaswani contacted us for a rescue as she was defecting from Vishkar Corporation. She said she might be in grave danger and that she has solid intel on Vishkar and Talon connection. We determined that she might be telling the truth and we took a chance of rescuing her. Unfortunately, what she said was true. When we reached her, she was heavily injured and suffered from major brain damage. If we had been a tad bit late, she might have perished.”</p><p>Lucio was dumbfounded upon learning this. He knew that she was one of their greatest assets in terms of hardlight architech. And she was a staunch believer of their crooked visions. What might have happened that caused her to change her mind? At this moment, his mind shifted towards what Genji said, as he asked another question.</p><p>“Wait, Genji what kind of wounds she was suffering from?”</p><p>Mei who was listening to their conversation, joined in, answering Lucio’s query. “The wounds seemed like burn wounds, inflicted by some type energy weapons, the skin and muscles around the wounds seemed to be cauterized with heat.”</p><p>Lucio immediately understood what happened. So Vishkar did betray her, as those wounds seemed to be created from photon weapons that Vishkar’s goons use. Lucio was now convinced that she was innocent and she didn’t come here as Vishkar’s informant. He felt awful, knowing that he criticized her too harshly without understanding her situation. Perhaps that’s the reason why she didn’t retaliate. She is not one to just lay down and let her opponent walk over her. She would definitely have answered his accusation with eloquent hostility. But she was already jeopardized by Vishkar and was suffering from the reality of waking up from their lies and atrocities. She was trying to build a life away from Vishkar’s hypocrisy and he just reminded her of her indoctrinated lifestyle, constructed from VIshkar’s twisted beliefs. Lucio covered his face with his hands, reprimanding himself for his words. Brigitte suddenly asked the question that was perhaps on everyone else’s mind.</p><p>“Can you tell us how you and Satya knew each other?”</p><p>Lucio removed the palm of his hand from his face and looked at Brigitte with conforming eyes to answer their question. “Well my father used to work for Vishkar. He too was a devout believer in their ideals. This core tech, the sonic weapon and all my equipment, were his life’s work. Vishkar betrayed him. They stole and patented all the technology he created and used it to against the populace of favela, to intimidate them and control them. Seeing his technology used in such horrifying manners, my father was heartbroken and he committed suicide.”</p><p>Listening to Lucio’s story, everyone’s heart was grief stricken. Behind the ever cheering voice and everlasting smile, there existed an orphan boy, one who lost his father to corporate exploitation. As everyone pondered over his part of story, Lucio continued his narration.</p><p>“When he was alive, my father used to talk about this one Vishkar employee, Satya Vaswani. He always said that it was a pleasure working with her, in terms of professional courtesy, innovative ideas and unbridled idealism. Like my father she believed in ideals of order from chaos and worked accordingly. Satya Vaswani isn’t just an ordinary Vishkar employee. She was a prodigy in hardlight architecture, the face of Vishkar who led their top projects. There was a reason why Vishkar used her face to promote their crooked and falsified ideologies.”</p><p>This part of narration confounded everyone. Satya Vaswani was the face of Vishkar. Then how was it possible that they were hunting her? What information she uncovered about them that caused them to hunt her like a prey? All these questions arose in their mind when Lucio continued his part of story.</p><p>“After my father’s death, I infiltrated Vishkar’s headquarters in Rio and stole his tech. Then I gathered up the people of favela, united them and we fought with Vishkar’s forces. After a long but hard rebellion, we were able to eviscerate Vishkar from the favelas. After a year from this incident, I met Satya Vaswani in one of my musical events. At that point, a huge argument erupted between us, where I warned her about Vishkar using her and she called me a ‘street ruffian’ who ‘should return what he stole from Vishkar’ and that my ‘ideals of freedom were anarchic, which brings more harm than good’. She condemned me by saying Vishkar was doing good for mankind, and I will just bring chaos for my people in due time as freedom is an ‘convenient illusion’. I think I kind of hated her since that day, and when I met her today my rage consumed me and I spoke too much without considering her situation.”</p><p>As Lucio narrated his story, everyone was a bit divided. Learning the story, they felt a bit justified for Lucio to enrage like that, but also understood Satya’s viewpoint in sense that everything Lucio warned her about, perhaps it all came true. That’s why Satya simply listened to all his insults and apologized for her past transgressions against him. But Lucio’s words induced really troublesome memories for Satya, which is why she left the room. They felt a bit concerned as to where she could be. They said farewell to Lucio so that he can rest for a bit and left his room.</p><p>Lena was standing outside, silently listening to his story. Perhaps she spoke too harshly to Lucio, without understanding why he acted like that. Hearing the story, she felt remorseful, as both of them weren’t entirely at fault. It’s just circumstances that made them bitter. As everyone were coming out, Lena quickly blinked away so that she isn’t noticed by anyone.</p><p>Lucio tossed and turned around his bed clumsily, concerned about the effect of his harsh words towards Satya. He couldn’t rest, his mind drifting towards the incident earlier. He felt uneasy and decided he has to apologize for this, otherwise it will haunt his thoughts. Quickly getting up, he put his damaged hardlight skates, still in a working condition and asked Athena as to where Satya is. Athena answered the question, as Lucio moved out of his room to search for Satya. As he slid throught the corridors, moving swiftly, Angela saw Lucio. She was perturbed if Lucio is going to bother Satya again and not taking care of his injuries. SO she immediately followed him without him noticing. Lena watching Angela follow Lucio, thought the doctor might be misunderstanding things, so she followed her to prevent any severe situation from developing.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Satya was immersed in the solitude of the place, taking the sea breeze. She was feeling a bit peaceful, after the mind numbing incident that happened earlier. With her eyes closed, Satya pondered over her life in this last few weeks, the revelation of truth, the escape from manipulation, the ripple from her past actions and the unbridled acceptance of these people. Her body shuddered and her heart felt heavy. Is she really deserving of acceptance. She was programmed as a Vishkar’s bot, brainwashed and coerced into their agent. Can her past transgression will ever be forgiven in her newfound place? They should know what kind of monster she was before they accept her. Dark thoughts clouded Satya’s mind. She didn’t want to lie to these good people, who have shown her true kindness compared to those of her previous life. She concluded that after learning the truth, they might reject her, as she deserved it. But they need to know her truth, before she should be accepted. She enjoyed these last peaceful moments of her life, just in case they reject her upon knowing the truth.</p><p>Lucio suddenly arrived behind her, stopping his skates. As she heard his sliding boots stop near her, Satya turned around to see Lucio standing behind her. Hesitation clouded his mind as he thought how to put his apology in words. He turned his head sideways, rubbing his hair, thinking what he should say next. Satya, recognizing his hesitation, created a hardlight chair and invited him to sit, as she spoke.</p><p>“Mr. Santos, to what do I owe your pleasure? Please, have a seat.”</p><p> Lucio, with his eyes widened, was surprised by her gesture. He accepted her offer and   sat on the chair, as he tried to express his apology.</p><p>“Hey Satya. This is quite a nice place to relax.”</p><p>“Yeah. It is. The view is amazing. And the sea breeze blowing, it feels quite serene. There is beauty in this.”</p><p>Lucio looked into the horizon, feeling the breeze blowing towards them. It really felt peaceful here. He took a deep breath, inhaling the cool wind blowing across them and exhaled it. He decided to convey his apology, but he stuttered, unable to form the words. After a while, he made up the courage and spoke up.</p><p>“I ….. apologize for today’s incident. I didn’t know your situation. I let my past anger misjudge you harshly. I am extremely sorry, Satya.”</p><p>Satya was surprised as she looked towards Lucio. She didn’t expect this apology. Perhaps in her mind, she knew what happened today was perhaps right. She, indeed said some mean things to Lucio, insulted his ideologies and termed him a ‘street ruffian’. She thought she deserved every bit of his hatred. But this unexpected apology somehow confounded her.</p><p>Angela reached at the same time when Lucio apologized to Satya. She hid behind the stairs to that place as she is unexpectedly joined by Lena. Angela holds Lena and gets down, putting a finger on her lips to not make a sound so they can hear their conversation.</p><p>“You don’t have to apologize, Mr. Santos.”</p><p>“Just call me Lucio, okay. And yes I do need to apologize.”</p><p>“As you wish. But there was no need. After all what you said that day, it finally came true. I was just too blind to see it.”</p><p>Lucio heard the remorseful tone in Satya’s voice. She was trying to cry but held back her emotions. As he looked at her while she looked down, he suddenly heard something he never expected.</p><p>“I have a confession to make. Being a rival, perhaps it would feel cathartic to say it to you.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>Lucio became attentive as he listened Satya’s confession. He felt an odd sense of sorrow emanating from her words and he couldn’t help but feel a bit pitiful towards her. The Satya he knew was, in his eyes, arrogant and condescending. But today he was seeing a different persona. As he focused his attention, Satya finally talked.</p><p>“I was born in Hyderabad to impoverished parents. We lived in the slums, where it was congested, loud and dirty. I felt suffocated living there, so I spent time alone. I was the youngest and I had an elder brother and sister. My parents felt something odd with me, but being busy to meet the necessities, they didn’t bother much with me. I was always the invisible kid, unable to mingle with other street urchins. But life still moved on. And then the omnic crisis hit.”</p><p>Lucio heard the gloomy tones in Satya’s voice. He always assumed her to come from a well to do family, as she was haughty and arrogant. But his misconceptions were slowly being shattered, as Satya continued to speak.</p><p>“My entire family was killed and I was left an orphan. I needed to survive, but to survive you must be able to mingle. I wasn’t. I was the crazy, awkward kid. So they left me alone. I spent many days hungry, without a morsel of food in my belly. My only solace was my drawing board, where I sketched my ideas, anything that came in my mind. I was about 8 years old, when Vishkar came to recruit.”</p><p>Angela and Lena silently heard the tale, as tears slid from their eyes. Angela remembered her own past, her own parents killed in an aerial strike, she being injured horribly and left an orphan. Hearing the tale, she had already understood what Satya was meaning to say.</p><p>“So why did you have difficulty in mingling with people?”</p><p>“I am on the spectrum, Lucio. That’s why I am usually harsh when I criticize people. It doesn’t bother me anymore but I don’t always know how to react to proper social cues. Perhaps that’s the reason.”</p><p>“Behind your obsession with perfection and order.”</p><p>“Correct. Anyway, Vishkar recognized my talents and they recruited me in their scholarship program. Which I now understand was an indoctrination program. I was cutoff from the world. I had to put utmost effort so that I won’t be hungry. I found my talent as a hardlight architech. I had a knack for it. I was able to better than my contemporaries and in a much unique way. So Vishkar moved me into special program. So you see, when your entire early life has been molded like that, where your survival is entirely due to your benefactors, you believe in them blindly. You don’t ask questions. You become willing to accept any atrocities to justify their ideals. That’s how my ideology was built. Vishkar’s ideology of order and perfection resonated with me, so I accepted and followed them blindly. Like my handler said to me, I am nothing without them.”</p><p>Lucio kept his head hanging as he listened to Satya. His misconceptions were shattered. All this time, he believed her to be some Vishkar’s slave, but never understood why she firmly defended such a corrupt corporation. But knowing about her childhood, he realized why she was like this. Perhaps in her place, he would have done the same thing. Feeling remorseful about her past, he kept silent, continuing to hear her story.</p><p>“The favelas in Rio, they reminded me of my home. Crowded, dirty and congested. I never understood why  people protested against Vishkar, when Vishkar could have provided them a better life.”</p><p>“It wasn’t that simple Satya. Vishkar never tried to provide us a better life. They wanted to manipulate and coerce our people. They destroyed our lives, our culture and started torturing people.  The entire city was put under a virtual martial law. And they used my father’s invention to bully innocents. My father, like you, believed in Vishkar. But Vishkar misused his life’s work. He committed suicide.”</p><p>“I …………… didn’t know. I was supposed to be the head of the project in Rio. But they removed me. And they didn’t implement my plans, which combined the cultural aspects and modern amenities. That’s one of the reason why I defected. They created new set of plans and I am glad you rebelled against them. If they would have succeeded in implementing their plans, the results could have been horrible.”</p><p>“I think I understand where you are coming from. I am sorry Satya. I didn’t know you that well to judge you that harshly. Perhaps in your place, I might have done the same. For what it’s worth, I am glad you escaped from their clutches. If you ever need any help against Vishkar, just ask me. I am glad we could put aside our differences.”</p><p> Satya was shocked by this unexpected vindication. As she looked at Lucio with a grateful smile, her heart, devoid of all the doubts, felt light. Lucio greeted Satya and moved down the place to give her some personal space. Angela and Lena also went away, without raising any alert. They were glad that Lucio and Satya sort their differences out. But they finally understood where Satya came from. They in their mind, decided to whole heartedly accept her, to make her feel validated in a supportive manner without any malice. Satya spent a few minutes with her thoughts. As the evening set in and the horizon was set in a reddish hue, Satya decided to take the next step. She opened a holographic interface and downloaded the intel she needed to submit, as part of the deal.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was night time when everyone was called in for a meeting. With everyone taking rest after the long and hard battle with Null Sector in Rio, the attendance was increasing quite slowly. Genji and Reinhardt were first, who discussed about what they did in these last few years. Genji was impressed with Reinhardt’s knightly mission, suggesting his body is still quite capable of putting up a good fight. Reinhardt answered his gesture with an exuberant laugh, telling him that he will continue to fight for those, who couldn’t fight for themselves. For warriors like him, a battlefield is a noble place to die, compared to a peaceful bed. Hearing his justification, Genji asked if he will ever put up his hammer and armor to rest. To which he replied,</p><p>“Never, Genji. Besides, we old ones have to clear a pathway for you young ones, to have a better future.”</p><p>As they were discussing this, more members joined in the room. Angela and Lena took a seat near Genji while Brigitte and Mei sat near Reinhardt. Brigitte asked Reinhardt with concern if his body was feeling okay. Angela, who was listening to the conversation, raised the same point to Reinhardt. Reinhardt puffed his chest forward and flexed his arms, as he loudly said “As you can see, I am doing great. No need to worry you two.” Angela put her face on her palm with an exasperating sigh, suggesting Reinhardt to stop being a stubborn old man and bring himself for checkup early in the morning, so she can diagnose any damage by herself and not by his words. Everyone laughed with the conversation that went between, as Reinhardt put up his hands in defeat, agreeing to obey Angela’s commands. As the room became loud, Lucio and Satya entered from opposite doors and everyone went silent. There were no empty spaces left in the sofa and everyone got concerned, hoping nothing harsh took place. But to everyone surprise, Lucio went near Satya as he said.</p><p>“Hey Satya, can I stand near you?”</p><p>Everyone looked at them with apprehension as they waited for Satya’s response. Then she replied “No.”</p><p>The people in the room expected something like this, with the incident that happened after they returned. Angela and Lena covered their mouths with their hands, trying to suppress their laughs, when Satya continued to speak.</p><p>“You were injured in the battle. It is not advisable for you to stand. You can sit beside me, however.”</p><p>Everyone’s mouths were left hanging with the events happening in front of them. As Satya created two hard light chairs for each of them to sit upon. Lucio accepted the offer and sat comfortably near Satya, as Reinhardt asked the question on everyone’s mind.</p><p>“Wait, what just happened?”</p><p>Angela and Lena then burst into laughter, grabbing each other’s hands to control themselves as everyone stared at them. Then Lucio tried to clear the confusion everyone had.</p><p>“Oh, we mitigated our differences. We are cool for now. We also apologized to each other for our past transgressions.”</p><p>Everyone was confused, with the question in their mind as to when did that happen. Angela and Lena finally controlled their laughter and answered everyone’s confusion.</p><p>“About in the afternoon. They talked with each other and resolved their differences.” Hearing the answer, Satya was muddled with another question, which she promptly asked.</p><p>“Wait how do you guys know about this?” Angela and Lena suddenly went quiet when Satya finally deduced what was going on.</p><p>“Oh my you were there, eaves dropping on us.”</p><p>“Well not exactly. We went to ensure Lucio doesn’t do anything stupid.”</p><p>“Say what now?”</p><p>“Oh my god, I said so many embarrassing things. Please Angela and Lena, don’t pity me over the things I said. I was a bit emotional today, and I felt it cathartic to tell my thoughts to him. Being a rival of sorts, I just wanted him to understand why I did what I did.”</p><p>Satya put her forehead on her palm, as Lucio consoled her. Lena then finally responded to Satya’s worries.</p><p>“Don’t worry love, we won’t judge you based on that. In fact after listening to your story, I am onboard with protecting you from Vishkar’s hands. Let them come. Overwatch will do everything in their control to protect you from their clutches, Satya.”</p><p>Angela agreed to what Lena said. Satya raised her head. The emotions overwhelmed her, but she couldn’t cry. She closed her eyes for a few minutes, pondering why everyone could accept her so easily. She considered herself a monster, undeserving of forgiveness. Yet she was forgiven for her actions. She had to struggle for everything in her life. But this, this was unexpected. As her mind tried to deal with this overwhelming emotions. Brigitte suddenly asked.</p><p>“Wait, what did they discuss? Let us know too Lena.”</p><p>“Uhh, I don’t think it’s my place to tell about it Brigitte. If Satya decides to tell, it’s a different story. But my lips are sealed, mate.”</p><p>“Uhhh…”</p><p>Brigitte was a bit disappointed, as were others when Lucio intervened. “Guys I think we should give her some space. Whatever we spoke was really personal to her. It is difficult to speak about them in public.”</p><p>“Lucio, it’s okay.”</p><p>Satya then started the narration of her story, as Sojourn and Winston stayed behind the walls to understand the reason behind the commotion that was happening and everyone listened to it attentively.</p><p>As the narration progressed, everyone was boggled down with conflicted emotions of anger and sadness. Her entire life journey to that point, was just a tragic comedy. They felt their anger growing towards Vishkar for how they manipulated her for their own selfish ends and then discarded her, but they felt confusion as VIshkar perhaps gave her a better life. Perhaps in her place, they would have chosen to do the same. Then it concluded with the reason why Lucio hated Vishkar personally. As their narration ended, everyone was filled with these dismal feelings, as Satya closed her eyes and bowed down. She was going to apologize for this, when suddenly Genji stood up from his position and kneeled with both his knees propped up in seiza position, as he expressed his pledge.</p><p>“Satya, as a warrior, I promise to prevent any harm to ever come to you from those who dare harm you. If Vishkar ever tries to come after you, they will face my blade before they confront you.”</p><p>“And my hammer, my lady. As a knight, I solemnly take an oath to defend your life from these goons of Vishkar. If they threaten you, they will face the face of my hammer.”</p><p>Satya was confounded by the sudden display of oath and vows of defending her life from these two persons, as Brigitte and others too joined in, promising to safeguard her from all threats from Vishkar. Lucio gave a smile, consoling her, signifying that she has all their support, if she faces any danger from Vishkar’s goons. Satya blinked her eyes, with tears slowly pouring from her eyes. What did she do to deserve such kindness? All her life, in pursuit of order and perfection, she has admonished those who didn’t share Vishkar’s vision, treated them as fools. She has committed horrible deeds to justify their ideals, considering it a necessary evil for bringing order to the world. In her last moments, she very much accepted that she deserved to be punished for her crimes. Yet here she was accepted without any expectations. Their solemn oaths and pledges of protection overwhelmed her heart, but she could barely show it to others. She just curved her lips into a smile as she thanked everyone for their generosity.</p><p>As the commotion started to settle down, Sojourn and Winston entered the room. Winston adjusted his spectacles as he coughed to garner everyone’s attention.</p><p>“If everybody has settled down, we have some very important news to share. Sojourn, if you will.”</p><p>“Thank you Winston.”</p><p>Sojourn moved herself towards the center of the room as Winston took a chair beside her. Then she informed every one of the news they was expecting.</p><p>“Well we finally have some good news. UN has finally come to its senses and has realized why Overwatch was needed in the first place. So ……… Petras Act has officially been revoked.”</p><p>Everyone started cheering as the room was filled with gleeful merriment. Lena stood up from her position and exclaimed her joy with this news, raising her hands. She then was raised above by Reinhardt, who placed her on one of his shoulder and Lucio on another as they celebrated this wonderful news. Angela clapped with a heartfelt smile as Genji and Brigitte bumped each other fists. Hearing the commotion, Winston fixed his spectacles, as he smiled and nod towards Sojourn. Sojourn then told everyone to calm down as the news was not over yet.</p><p>“Overwatch has been given full autonomy in dealing with this crisis, just like during the first omnic crisis. But we have decided not to start a full scale recruitment. We will be inviting few capable agents to join our ranks. Overwatch, like at its inception, will act as shock troopers to breach enemy defenses and allow the other forces to mop up the situation. So if you guys have anyone in your mind, whether they are capable of being a good Overwatch agent in any manner possible, they are invited to join us.”</p><p>“Well I have someone in mind.”</p><p>“So do I. Brigitte, it’s time we invited Torbjorn.”</p><p>“That is a great idea, Reinhardt. We can leave tomorrow as soon as possible. I suppose pappa’s new assisitant would be willing to join us.”</p><p>“Well everyone can depart tomorrow and recruit the agents that they trust wholeheartedly. Or you can contact them to arrive here.”</p><p>At that moment, Echo who was resting in her chamber, woke up and entered the chamber. Winston invited her to join as she put forward her idea.</p><p>“Well if Overwatch has been given full autonomy, can we have outlaws joining our team?”</p><p>Everyone was confused with Echo’s proposition, when she explained the situation. “I am talking about Jesse Mccree.”</p><p>Genji was especially surprised upon hearing that name. “Chotto matte, McCree is an outlaw now. He has been completely out of contact with everyone. Why he has been declared an outlaw?”</p><p>“Well after he left Blackwatch, he was no longer under supervision of Overwatch. So his previous outlaw situation stuck with him. I suppose if we bring him into Overwatch again, his status as an outlaw can be removed.”</p><p>“Of course Echo. If you know his location, you can invite him, of course.”</p><p>“Okay, Winston. I can depart tomorrow. Since he changes his position frequently, I have to move swiftly to find him.”</p><p>As everyone discussed their plans, Satya looked at her holographic systems. The download of the intel was completed. She decided to intervene in the merrymaking to fulfill the part of her deal.</p><p>“Excuse me everyone. If I can have your attention for a few minutes, I wanted to fulfill my part of bargain.”</p><p>There was an eerie silence in the room as everyone focus shifted to Satya. Satya stood from her seat and went near Athena.</p><p>“Athena, I am transferring the required intel I was supposed to present.”</p><p>“Very well, initiating download. This will take a few seconds.”</p><p>Satya selected a file from her holographic interface and transferred it to Athena systems, as Athena initiated a firewall check to quarantine any viruses. Seeing this string of events, Sojourn spoke up.</p><p>“Well, that’s some good news as well. Athena, any useful intel.”</p><p>Everyone waited in anxiousness, as Athena took a few seconds to scan through the data. Their breaths were stuck in their throat, waiting in anticipation. Talon has been a major thorn in side to Overwatch over the years, thus any intel regarding them will be considered a huge advantage over them. As the scan finally completed, Athena declared what she found.</p><p>“Plenty.”</p><p>In an instance the screen was filled with numerous documents. Angela, Lena, Genji and Winston stood up from their chairs, as Sojourn’s lips curled into a smile.</p><p>“This is incredible.”</p><p>Sojourn clicked on a picture, which showed some sort of meeting. They were surprised to see some old and new faces in that picture. Everyone stood from their positions, as the screen was lit with that picture.</p><p>“Verdammt, this is way more than the intelligence we gathered over the years.”</p><p>“You are completely right, Angela. Wait is this some sort of meeting.”</p><p>Satya interjected to clear the query. “I presume this is Talon’s inner council.”</p><p>“Wait, Reaper, Maximillian, Akande Ogundimu, Dr. Moira O’ Deorain. They are members of inner council of Talon.”</p><p>“So Moira did betray Overwatch from very beginning.”</p><p>At that point, Lucio focused his eyes towards another figure sitting in shadow beside Maximillain. As he seem to recognize that person, he expressed his doubt.</p><p>“Wait, the one sitting in shadow. He is familiar.”</p><p>Satya then proceeded to clear Lucio’s doubt as she closed her eyes and then gazed at everyone with remorseful eyes.</p><p>“Yes Lucio. He is Sanjay Korpal. A high level member of Vishkar and my handler. He was the connection between Vishkar and Talon. He also led Vishkar’s forces in Rio, before you drove them out.”</p><p>“Wait, is he the one who..”</p><p>“Flipped the switch, yes.”</p><p>Angela’s face turned a bit frowned, knowing the person who was behind the order of hunting down Satya, who was responsible for her severe injuries.  As everyone pondered through the information presented, Satya finally decided to tell them last piece of information, knowing that revealing it would jeopardize her fragile position here. But accepting their kindness while living a lie, isn’t something Satya thought she could possibly allow. Her heart was filled with fear of rejection, but eliminating all doubts from her mind, Satya took a deep breath and gained the resolve to tell her biggest crime.</p><p>“Before this meeting ends, I want to tell something to everyone here. There might be things I haven’t told anyone here, things I am guilty of. Before I go any further, I need to confess my crime. It is regarding Rio and an organization named Calado.”</p><p>Suddenly the entire screen lit up with a video in someone’s POV as Athena expressed her doubts. “Wait Miss Vaswani, do you mean this video?”</p><p>Satya suddenly turned towards the screen as she saw her nightmare appear before her. Confessing her guilt in words was one thing. But for everyone to see her crimes, Satya’s heart pounded as she fell down on the floor, her eyes opened wide towards the screen as the video started playing.</p><p>
  <em>“Well we need to find any dirt on Calado, so that the mayor can accept our offer.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Are you ready for this, Satya?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“When on field, call me Symmetra, Sanjay.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I am sorry. So start the mission. Let us hope you can dig some dirt.”</em>
</p><p>Everyone stood from their position, as the video progressed. They were surprised to see a bridge appearing out of thin air, as Satya walked towards the Calado building and infiltrated through a window.<em> As she entered, she swiftly moved through the corridor and reached a room, which she unlocked by creating a small heated rotating blade, that cut through the bolt of the lock. She entered the room and opened up the files in the locker.</em></p><p>
  <em>“I have been going through these files, Sanjay. It looks like Calado is just a small time slumlord. But nothing illegal is being done here.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Is anything else you can find?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Afraid not.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Fine, get out of that place Symmetra.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Hey what are you doing there?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Satya turned back to see a few guards pointing their weapons at her. As they started firing, she created a shield and immediately fired an energy drain orb that hit the targets.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Energy drain, Symmetra. Why not just terminate them?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You know I don’t kill if I don’t have to. I will be gone before they wake up.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Satya immediately ran towards the window as the guards were incapacitated. Immediately she created a teleporter and jumped through it, reaching outside the building.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Sanjay, I am afraid there is not much on Calado. Maybe we can get to the mayor instead. Find something on her.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“That is disappointing. So be it.”</em>
</p><p>There was a sudden explosion in the screen, as they saw the building which Satya had entered in the video exploding and going in flames.</p><p>“<em>What? There were people inside?”</em></p><p>
  <em>“Whatever do you mean?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“My gods.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Calado won’t stand in the way of the good we will do for the city.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“No the fires, it’s spreading to the favelas.”</em>
</p><p>Lucio stood from his seat, as he recalled this fire incident, where a portion of favela was burnt down. His eyes left open wide, his body shuddered with the scene that followed. So this where it started, Vishkar’s destruction of Rio’s culture. This was the pivotal point. He turned to look at Satya, who had wrapped her head with her arms, as she hid her face between the raised knees.</p><p>
  <em>Satya immediately created a slide to go down. She created structures to block the fire from spreading further in the favelas. There were cries of local people, asking for help, shouting for their family members. As Satya cleared the debris, she heard the cry of a little girl, coming from a burning house. She immediately created a shield, moving inward when she found a little girl with burning debris upon her. She went forward to remove the debris, as she created some room using her shield, preventing the debris from falling.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I have you. You are safe now. Nothing is going to happen to you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Satya carried the kid outside as her mother came in crying. She thanked Satya for rescuing her kid and moved to a safer spot. The rest of the video, showed Satya supporting the local people, saving as many as she can, until Fire Trucks arrived. As they got busy extinguishing the fires, Satya left the location.</em>
</p><p>Everyone in the room were left astounded by this sudden revelation. Some had concerned eyes. Othersput their hands on their mouths, seeing the scenario that was unfolding. Lucio finally correlated about the little girl Satya talked about with the one she saved from the fire. As everyone was surprised as to what to say next, Athena suddenly chimed in.</p><p>“It seems that Talon had a hand in these explosions.”</p><p>Winston immediately reacted to Athena’s statement, adjusting his glasses. “Can you clarify, Athena?”</p><p>Athena immediately presented a contract made between Vishkar and Talon to plant bombs in Calado headquarters. As they finally understood what happened, Sojourn expressed her surprise.</p><p>“Well well, a corporate espionage agent. It seems you weren’t just a hard light architech, Miss Vaswani.”</p><p>As Satya heard the statement, she knew what was coming next. Her body shuddered with anxiety, of being accused of a trickster, a criminal. Her eyes were filled with tears and she started sobbing, trying to control her sound so none could hear her sobbing. She prepared her mind for the accusations to come. But what happened next, startled her.</p><p>“Satya why are you crying? Is this what you wanted to confess?”</p><p>Satya raised her face from her knees to see Lena kneeling beside her. Other people also gathered around her as Satya was confused to what was happening next, when she heard Lucio mention something.</p><p>“Why are you so concerned about it? You saved those innocents in the favela right. I now remember the incident. I heard from the residents that some woman was helping them saving their family members caught in fire. That little girl you saved first. I presume she is the one you were talking about, the one whose future you thought was being jeopardized growing up in favelas. I have met that girl, she is a big fan of my songs. When I asked her who her greatest ideal was, she mentioned a woman who was her savior, who saved her life from a certain death. Satya, you were that little girl’s inspiration. I don’t know about others, but do you think after learning the truth about you, I will accuse you of being a fraud after I saw the video. You were a hero here.”</p><p>Hearing Lucio blurt out these comments, Satya wasn’t able to form words. What was happening? She assumed that these people will see that she is guilty. As she tried to murmur some words, Sojourn finally said something.</p><p>“Symmetra, if you prefer it, if you are concerned that we will accuse you of being a criminal because you acted in accordance to your company’s guidelines, you are dead wrong. Do you think everyone here at Overwatch is a pious saint who never committed a blunder in their entire lifetime? Overwatch was shut down because we committed blunders. We were disgraced in people’s eyes. But it’s not about what they said that kept us going. It’s our own will, to make things right, to ensure these mistakes never happen again.”</p><p>Satya felt more confused, when she finally was able to speak, stammering and unable to complete her sentences.</p><p>“But I ……. I left those …… men to die? I played a part ………… in causing the fire.”</p><p>At that moment, Winston stood up from his chair and spoke something, adjusting his glasses.</p><p>“Miss Vaswani, when Overwatch was shut down, we were labelled as criminals. Every mistake we made, it was flashed across the world as failures committed by us. The people across the world, admonished us, forgetting our actions perhaps saved a lot of their lives. Due to our shutdown, we left several important projects across the world unhandled, which caused further problems, one of them you would have heard from Dr. Zhou. It was our fault, and we couldn’t do anything about it. But it doesn’t mean we stopped helping people. We did whatever we can, to embrace the values Overwatch was envisioned to uphold. Dr. Ziegler continued her life saving work across the globe, even if there are people who hated her for it. Reinhardt here went around Europe, fighting against injustices and protecting the innocents. Lena, in her area of Kings Row, helped anyone in whatever way she can. Everyone here, we didn’t stop fighting the good fight. We know the world has torn our family apart, but we still did what we can, hoping that one day we will unite and the world will understand it needed us. Until than we did what we can to help the people, to uphold our values.”</p><p>As Winston speech was ending, Genji too interjected and put forward his thoughts.</p><p>“Satya you didn’t flip the switch. Your handler did. Did you expect that there was a bomb planted in the building even before you infiltrated it? Did you expect a fire to spread through these favelas? If you are concerned we will judge you as a criminal, you are a bit confused. Jesse McCree, before joining us, was a member of an infamous gang. I was an assassin of a crime family. We didn’t even save people like you did. We were criminals. Yet Overwatch took us under their wing and gave us a chance to redeem ourselves.”</p><p>Reinhardt then moved towards Satya and sat beside her, as he narrated his tale.” I was never invited to join Overwatch. It was my master, Balderich. I was a young, cocky fool who considered attacking and destroying my enemies more interesting that protecting my team. And I was punished for it. I lost an eye and Balderich was heavily injured taking the blow meant for me. In his final sacrifice, I finally understood the meaning of being a crusader. Ever since that day, I have been fulfilling my mission, perhaps in a manner of penance for my sins, and I will keep doing it till my last breath. So my lady, if you think you committed a sin, then join us and redeem yourself. Each and every one of us will help you in whatever way we can. But never misunderstand that we will consider you guilty for something you didn’t do. Welcome to the family, Satya.”</p><p>Satya’s walls finally broke down. For the first time in her life, there were people who accepted her despite her faults, who forgave her for her mistakes and welcomed her into a family and who considered her that she meant something to them. That she was no longer, a nobody. She finally broke down and cried cathartically, wrapping her arms around Lena and placing her face on her shoulder. All those doubts she had that clouded her mind, they were finally wiped away by these waves of kindness. Lena held her tight, slightly patting her back, as she cried, balling her eyes out. Lena too felt like crying, but she just wiped her tears away, consoling Satya the best she can. Here was a person, who struggled her entire life, trying to be accepted. And she needs every support so that she can feel validated without being a useful tool, just for being a decent person. Others joined in as Satya finally stopped crying and they consoled Satya that everything is going to be fine. Satya finally felt a sigh of happiness wash across her face and she smiled gracefully. At that moment, Sojourn joined in the moment.</p><p>“Besides, we had already decided to recruit you and Lucio as our newest members. After seeing your talents as an espionage agent, we believe you will be an excellent addition to our team.”</p><p>Lucio finally puffed his chest and answered their request.</p><p>“Of course I will.”</p><p>Satya finally wiped away her tears, and answered with a pride in her heart.</p><p>“So do I.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So this concludes the prologue of the series. Now we will delve into the first part of the series. So stay tuned.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lena was standing near the Aurora, waiting for the passengers. It was going to be a long flight as she has to transport them to multiple places and then after their jobs are done, she had to bring them back. She did some warm up exercises in her G-Suit, stretching her limbs and leaned on the doorway, looking at the time. As she waited, she got a call. She opened up her holographic interface to see Emily calling her. Smiling at the unexpected yet welcoming timing, she received the call.</p><p>“Hey, Emily. How you doing?”</p><p>“I am good. So what are you doing today?”</p><p>“I will be busy today, Emily. I have to take Reinhardt, Brigitte and Genji to their respective destinations, where they can recruit some old and new members for Overwatch.”</p><p>“Ohh, I completely forgot. Congratulations on being legal again.”</p><p>“Aww babe, you mean like we were some criminal organization.”</p><p>“Well,… UN tried to make your reputation shady when you resolved the situation in Paris. Now they are understanding they can’t sit with their thumb up their asses, so they are constraining you to take responsibility. Bunch of hypocrites.”</p><p>“Ha ha ha ha….”</p><p>“What happened? What so funny?”</p><p>“Babe you really hate UN for what they did to us.”</p><p>“Oh absolutely.”</p><p>“Huh…..well anyway I will be busy today transporting them to the places they want to go, receive some new members we have contacted who agreed to our proposal. We have decided to keep this operation small time. If we succeed in ending the threat, then perhaps we can restore Overwatch to its previous glory”</p><p>“That is great news. Well anyway, see you soon Lena. Missing you a lot.”</p><p>“Missing you too, love. Talk to you later.”</p><p>Lena’s mood brightened for the day, after listening to Emily’s voice. Her face expressed a genuine smile, as she lost herself in thoughts about her girlfriend. At that moment her attention was brought to present as Brigitte called her out.</p><p>“Hey Lena, we are ready.”</p><p>Lena looked up to see Brigitte, Reinhardt and Genji prepared and walking towards her. She greeted them and opened up the doorway to Aurora to start the shuttle. Lena took the pilot’s seat and started the systems, as the aircraft activated for departure. After a few moments, Echo too joined in as everyone else took their seats. She took the spot of secondary pilot to Lena, as the Aurora’s shutter was closed and they started to fly in. As everyone settled in their seats with the plane stabilizing after it lifted off, Brigitte started a conversation with Genji.</p><p>“So Genji, who are you inviting to join Overwatch?”</p><p>“My master, Zenyatta. He is a Shambali monk.”</p><p>“Oh, you mean those peaceful omnics from Nepal.”</p><p>“Yes. I talked with him yesterday. He said he is concerned that these recent Null Sector attacks might sour the human-omnic already fragile relations. And perhaps him participating in helping Overwatch in this task might make people sympathize with omnics, make them understand that they are too victims in this war. What about you?”</p><p>“Well Reinhardt and I will be inviting my father. I think it will be a bit difficult for me to convince him to join us. So Reinhardt will do the talking. Of course there will be a surprise candidate who might join us.”</p><p>“Well I am eager to see the new recruit who joins us. So any other members we are recruiting Lena?”</p><p>At that moment, Lena set the flight controls at auto and turned around to answer Genji. “Well someone is joining us from Helix Security, who we will be picking up from Cairo. She is quite a familiar member.”</p><p>At that moment, Reinhardt immediately thought as to who that might be when it immediately dawned on him. “Wait, is Fareeha joining us?”</p><p>“That’s absolutely right. She has agreed to accept our offer. Helix also is willing to send an ambassador in efforts of securing ‘world peace’, so Fareeha is striking two stones with one arrow.”</p><p>“Oh, it’s been years since I met her. I heard she left the army with recommendation and joined this private military corporation.”</p><p>Brigitte also chimed in the conversation. “Yeah I have seen her in news, dressed in the signature Raptora suit Helix agents’ use.”</p><p>“Well I am glad she is joining us. She was to be a full scale member of Overwatch, before the Zurich incident and Overwatch shutdown.”</p><p>As they talked about Fareeha, Lena asked Echo about McCree’s whereabouts.</p><p>“Hey Echo, where is McCree currently?”</p><p>“Well, he frequently moves around, so it’s hard to pinpoint his exact location. But when he activated me, I scanned for the signal in his prosthetic arm, so I can lockdown on his signal. In fact I was just triangulating his location and I think I found him. He is in Kings Row. Odd.”</p><p>Genji listened to Echo as he answered. “Hmm that is odd. Wait! Prosthetic arm. Since when does McCree have a prosthetic arm?”</p><p>Lena was taken a bit aback as she asked in shock. “Yeah I am confused. Prosthetic arm. Was he severely injured in some accident?”</p><p>“I don’t actually know. He just said me ‘that’s a story for another time’.”</p><p>“Sounds like him.”</p><p>They conversed with each other as the shuttle neared its first location, near Iron Clad workshop in Gothenburg. The aircraft slowly descended into an empty spot near the workshop and landed there as Reinhardt and Brigitte prepared to leave the aircraft.</p><p>“Well guys, we will be waiting for you to come pick us up. Have a fun journey.”</p><p>“You too Brigitte. Take care.”</p><p>The aircraft then lifted off as it left Swedish airspace to visit other destinations.</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Torbjorn was busy looking through some schematics for improving armor. His face was smeared with soot, as he started crafting the improvements to the armor. The improvements were meant for Torbjorn’s new assistant, who was sitting silently, with a yellow bird sitting on its chassis. Being busy, Torbjorn didn’t realize as two persons entered his workshop. The omnic who was sitting silently, upon looking at the visitors, stood up and his visor came online.</p><p>“Beep beep beep Bop”</p><p>“Bastion will you calmly sit down? I am working on your armor. Be calm for a few minutes.”</p><p>Torbjorn was busy welding the joints, when he felt a familiar voice behind him.</p><p>“Papa, I think there is a structural problem in the design. The core integration might fail.”</p><p>Torbjorn immediately removed his welding mask, to see his daughter, Brigitte modifying the design and Reinhardt taking a beer bottle from the refrigerator located in workshop. Torbjorn’s face lit up to see his daughter after a long time, as he spread his arms to welcome the visitors.</p><p>“My baby.”</p><p>“Hey papa.”</p><p>Torbjorn went towards his daughter as Brigitte bent down to embrace her father. After a short embrace, Torbjorn released her.</p><p>“Brigitte, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Gibraltar.”</p><p>“Well Papa, we came for your help. Petras act has been revoked and UN has established Overwatch to its previous status. We are recruiting some new and old members, and I thought your expertise as an engineer and Overwatch agent will be of use.”</p><p>“Brigitte, you know I am retired right.”</p><p>“And you go around as bounty hunter to destroy Titans at your age. So we still need your experience.”</p><p>“And it’s not only that Torbjorn.”</p><p>Torbjorn shifted his sight towards Reinhardt, as he spoke with a serious tone.</p><p>“What is Reinhardt? You sound serious.”</p><p>“It’s happening again, friend. All our efforts decades ago, they are coming undone.”</p><p>“Hmm, is the situation that bad?”</p><p>“Torbjorn, the Null Sector forces have been upgraded. They have mobile manufacturing carriers. They can invade any city with an infinite army. They are evolving. And I suspect we still haven’t faced their entire might.”</p><p>Torbjorn was concerned. If the Null Sector forces are evolving, then mankind too has to adapt and overcome. The tactics they used in their fight all those years ago might fail as well. Arms wrapped around his body, he slowly moved towards the workshop and took a seat.</p><p>“So, are we still using the shock troopers’ strategy?”</p><p>“Yeah Papa. Sojourn said we are only recruiting members we can trust and are confident in their skills. We are also concerned about Talon. We have received actionable intel on their activities.”</p><p>“Oh, that is reassuring. How?”</p><p>“Let’s just say we were contacted by someone.”</p><p>“Hmm, okay. I am willing to join. But I still have work to do on Bastion. I think it might help. But it still needs a system upgrade.”</p><p>“Okay then. Let me help papa. We can then complete the work faster.”</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Lena’s next stop was in Cairo. They landed their ship in Helix Security headquarters. They were supposed to recruit one of their finest agents, who was also a familiar face to the old members of Overwatch. As they landed, Genji and Lena exited their seats and were greeted by that familiar person.</p><p>“Hey Lena, Genji. Welcome to Helix.”</p><p>“Hello Pharah.”</p><p>Fareeha Amari led the two Overwatch agents towards their main office to finalize her transfer of duty from Helix to Overwatch. As soon as Overwatch asked for her, she immediately agreed to their offer. The only permission they needed was official transference of her Raptora suit. As they walked towards the office, they started to discuss various matters.</p><p>“So, are we recruiting any new members?”</p><p>“Well so far, we have received two new recruits. We are also recruiting you and Torbjorn. Genji has decided to ask his Master for help as well?”</p><p>“Oh, you mean those omnic monks from Nepal?”</p><p>“Yeah Pharah. Wait how did you know who my master is?”</p><p>“Angela told me about that.”</p><p>“Hmm, that’s plausible.”</p><p>As they conversed with each other, they finally reached the office for finalizing the transfer. Pharah opened the door to the office of Helix’s chairman and invited them to come inside.</p><p>“May I come in, Chairman?”</p><p>“Ah, Miss Amari. Are these your guests from Overwatch you mentioned?”</p><p>“Yes Sir, Miss Lena Oxton and Mr. Genji Shimada.”</p><p>“Welcome to Helix. So, we have agreed to send Miss Amari as an envoy to Overwatch for peacekeeping operations. We hope that this worldwide crisis is resolved as quickly as possible. I expect our collaboration would be successful. Miss Pharah, your transfer agreements have been verified. You can depart immediately. Your Raptora suit is en route to your shuttle. Wish you the best Miss Amari.”</p><p>“Thank you, Sir.”</p><p>After being handed the necessary documents, Pharah finally took her luggage and joined Lena and Genji towards the shuttle. As they walked towards the Aurora, Lena posed a question to Pharah.</p><p>“Well, that was quick. I thought you were one of their best soldiers, Pharah.”</p><p>“That’s why they fast tracked the process. Helix International has always worked for industrial interests, with its clients mostly being huge corporations. But now with this crisis, they are expanding their domain. The reason why they agreed for the collaboration with Overwatch, so that Helix can be commended for their efforts in peacekeeping operations and they will get more contracts.”</p><p>“Oh, bollocks. Why was I expecting any noble intention from PMCs? Still it’s good to have your assistance Pharah.”</p><p>“It is a sad thing it took us this long to bring you in our team.”</p><p>“Oh why is that Genji?”</p><p>“Well, you were selected to be assigned to our taskforce after you were recruited to Overwatch, after the Numbani mission. But then everything went haywire.”</p><p>“There was a taskforce I was already assigned to?”</p><p>“Yes, it consisted of Lena, Winston, Angela and me. Lena being our squad leader, requested for your assignment to our team.”</p><p>"Oh yes, I completely forgot about that. I had received information that you left Egyptian Special Forces with recommendation, so I put in a request with Strike Commander to recruit you and present an offer to join our squad.”</p><p>“Hmm, I knew I was presented an offer for joining Overwatch. It was kind of a dream of mine, Lena.”</p><p>“But then the Numbani incident happened. I lost consciousness due to Doomfist destroying my chronal accelerator.”</p><p>“And then the Egypt incident occurred. And I too left like a coward and the Zurich incident happened. And I left Angela to deal with them all alone.”</p><p>“Genji, don’t blame yourself. Things really went chaotic after Numbani. Overwatch was blamed for poorly handling the Anubis AI situation. The tensions between Commander Reyes and Strike Commander Morrison intensified. It really went out of control.”</p><p>The mention of Doomfist rattled Fareeha. She frowned with pursed lips, as her eyes showed a disgust for that name. Seeing her expression, Genji inquired about her concerns.</p><p>“Pharah, is something wrong?”</p><p>“Doomfist, Anubis AI. Let’s just say I had really troublesome experience with these.”</p><p>“How so?”</p><p>“Helix was responsible for apprehending Doomfist, when he escaped his confinement. He killed several of our agents. When Anubis AI tried to escape again, it was my squad that was sent in to secure the site or ‘kill everything on the site’. One of my squad mates, Okoro, who was an omnic was somehow controlled by Anubis AI and he sacrificed himself. Several of my squad were heavily injured and one was killed in action, in our attempt to contain the situation. Then Talon comes in a few months later and again several of our agents are killed.”</p><p>“I am sorry, Pharah. I didn’t know.”</p><p>“Well, you weren’t supposed to.”</p><p>“Angela told me about the Talon attack on Anubis. She described that the nearby areas were heavily affected.”</p><p>“That was a dreadful day. Angela isn’t very supportive of Helix’s actions. She said they acted only for corporate interests. Not that I disagree, but we just follow our orders. Sometimes I think if we could have saved those lives we left to die.”</p><p>“Well don’t worry Pharah. This time we are going to kick Talon in their balls.”</p><p>“That’s surprising news, Lena. How so?”</p><p>“We got solid intel on Talon’s activities. Don’t worry you will get to know when we reach the base.”</p><p>The trio reached their craft as the Raptora suit was loaded in the plane. As everyone took their seats. The Aurora finally took flight as they proceeded to reach their next destination- Nepal.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Pharah and Genji were strapped to their seats as the Aurora headed towards the omnic monastery in Nepal, where their next candidate was to be recruited. Pharah was sitting with her arms crossed, pondering over the things they discussed, while Genji meditated to concentrate his mind. It’s been a while since he left the monastery, so he wondered how his master and the other monks were doing. As Pharah was distracted with her thoughts, she suddenly got a call from someone familiar. Her face lit up with a grin as she received the call.</p><p>“Saleh, Tarik how are you guys doing?”</p><p>“Captain, you reached your destination.”</p><p>“Technically, I am no longer your captain. Just call me Pharah. How’s your assignment going?”</p><p>“Well it’s boring. It is technically a babysitting operation.”</p><p>“I am confused as to why we were demoted from ‘kill everything’ squad to ‘babysitting’ squad.”</p><p>“Tarik, an assignment is an assignment. Beside you guys were injured in the Talon attack. Take some simpler assignments. Since I am leaving the squad, you will now be promoted to Captain of the squad. Congratulations Tarik.”</p><p>“Thanks Captain. You know we will miss you.”</p><p>“I do, Tarik.I really do.”</p><p>“Congratulations to you too, captain. You always said you dreamt of working in Overwatch. This is a golden opportunity for you.”</p><p>“Thank you Saleh. Take care.”</p><p>“You too, Captain.”</p><p>As her conversation ended, the Aurora started its landing sequence. Lena then announced in her usual cheerful manner.</p><p>“Passengers, this is your captain speaking. We are nearing our destination. Please take off your seat belts and remain seated until we land.”</p><p>The shuttle landed on the landing zone in the monastery. The monks there were informed prior about the arrival of their pupil, so they were waiting outside to receive them. As they prepared to leave their seats, Lena mentioned something.</p><p>“Genji, Pharah, you go on ahead. I want to sit this one out.”</p><p>“Are you sure, Lena? It’s quite pleasant outside.”</p><p>“No, it’s okay. You guys go on ahead. I will wait here for our passenger.”</p><p>Hearing the discomfort in her voice. Genji and Pharah thought it might be prudent to respect her choice and they exited the plane to receive a heartwarming welcome from the monks.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well been busy with joblessness. This chapter, I intended it to be a bit longer. But I have decided to separate it into three chapters. I will be uploading new chapters within this week so that I can have this story progress to a better point.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Genji and Pharah were surprised by the warm welcome they received from the monks in the monastery. Pharah waited behind, close to the shuttle as Genji went ahead and bowed in front of the monks. The monks reciprocated the gesture and bowed as well. As Genji raised his head, he saw the monks welcome him to the monastery as they started walking. As Genji started moving, he looked back to see Pharah with her hands wrapped around her shivering body, teeth rattling as she blew cold air.</p><p>“Pharah, are you coming in?”</p><p>“Of course I am coming in. Uhhhh. It’s so damn cold outside.”</p><p>Pharah started walking alongside Genji towards the monastery, rubbing her palms together and blowing warm air on her hands. As they walked through the vast open corridors, Pharah could see several omnic monks walking alongside human monks, some in meditation, some playing in the snow, some having tea ceremonies. She could hear the large cylindrical rotating gongs being rotated around by the monks, human and omnic alike, as the monastery was filled with ringing sounds, which somehow filled Pharah’s mind with peace, as a smile emerged from her lips.</p><p>“This place is really cold, but peaceful at the same time.”</p><p>  “It is, isn’t it? This place maybe a testament to the fact that peace maybe brought between omnics and humans.”</p><p>“It won’t be that easy.”</p><p>“I know, but we have to try the best we can. We are reaching my master’s sanctum, you want to come inside?”</p><p>“No, I will wait outside.”</p><p>“As you wish.”</p><p>Genji reached the inner chambers of the monastery, infront of his master’s sanctum. Pharah, searching for a place to sit, found a stone chair and proceeded to sit on the cold surface. As she rested herself on the chilled surface of the chair, a cold chill went through her body, but she immediately composed herself and perched on the stone chair. Genji, watching Pharah satisfied with her sitting, went ahead to his master’s Sanctum.</p><p>“Master, are you there?”</p><p>“Of course, Genji. Come on in.”</p><p>Genji entered the chambers as an omnic monk was levitating, with metallic orbs surrounding him, as he sat in meditation. He turned back to see Genji bowing in front of him.</p><p>“Genji, it’s been a while. How is my brightest pupil doing today?”</p><p>“I am fine, Master Zenyatta. Its been too long since we last met.”</p><p>“You can say that, Genji. So, did you want to ask something, my student?”</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Pharah was sitting with her legs crossed, shaking her legs. She opened up a holographic interface and opened up a panel, depicting the recent news reports on the growing human- omnic tensions. She was frustrated reading these. She might be a child when the omnic crisis started, but she has seen enough of the horrors of this meaningless dispute, the near extinction of mankind, her mother’s near death experiences, the nightmares her mother suffered as she consoled her. The tensions continued for the last three decades. Even if peace existed in some places, most of the human population still hated to coexist with omnics. War still raged on in Russia, Australia, Egypt and several other corners of the world and many countries gave sub human rights to the omnics, like England. Worried by these staggering news, Pharah’s heart was grieved. She saw the humans and omnics living in coexistence in these frigid cold. Will the world ever come to accept this norm? As she scrolled through the reports pondering through these thoughts, an omnic monk came near her with a plate containing cups and pots.</p><p>“May I offer you some tea?”</p><p>Pharah looked at the omnic monk and closed her interface. She graciously accepted the tea and took it in her hands to smell the rich aroma, closing her eyes and exhaling her breath.</p><p>“It’s quite aromatic. Thank you.”</p><p>“You are welcome. May I join, if it’s okay with you?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>The omnic sat near Pharah as she started to consume her tea. The tea was really tasty and it soothed her body with warmth. As she continued sipping the tea, the omnic monk spoke.</p><p>“Do you think the human- omnic relations are going to worsen further?”</p><p>Pharah stopped sipping the tea and kept the cup aside. She was intrigued by the question posed by the monk, but decided to answer in best way possible.</p><p>“I don’t know. Human-omnic tensions were sky high in these last few years. Now these Null Sector attacks may aggravate the situation. That’s why Overwatch is working towards resolving this situation as quickly as possible.”</p><p>The omnic contemplated at Pharah’s answer, then kept the plate aside.</p><p>“I remember the day I first arrived here. I had broken systems, from the constant bullying of certain civilians in Kings Row. Our living conditions in King’s row were pretty terrible. One day, while returning to my place, I stumbled upon few unruly citizens. I intended no harm, but I could see their hate. They started beating me up. It was like that every day in Kings Row. It was when Master Mondatta found me in the alley that day. He decided to invite me to this monastery. I wanted to escape, so I accepted the offer. When I reached here, I couldn’t believe my eyes first. Humans and omnics coexisting peacefully. For my life until that point, I never thought it was possible. But it was. I had difficulty accepting the fact, but the people here, they made me feel welcome. I wonder if this peace could ever be achieved elsewhere.”</p><p>Pharah listened calmly to the omnic’s story, sipping her tea. She was enthralled by the narration. As the omnic completed the story, Pharah gave her opinion.</p><p>“If the humans and omnics would be more accepting of each other, just like what I saw here, then perhaps the world would be a better place. But there are scars and wounds on both sides, it may take time to heal. But all we can do is try our best.”</p><p> As Pharah and the omnic continued discussing, Genji and Zenyatta emerged from the sanctum, with Zenyatta levitating towards them. As they both saw them coming, both raised themselves as the omnic bowed towards Zenyatta.</p><p>“Master Zenyatta, are you leaving today?”</p><p>“Yes, Grace. I have decided to help Genji in his efforts of stopping this crisis.”</p><p>“I see. I suppose other masters are a bit disappointed.”</p><p>“They definitely are. But just like Mondatta, I want to make a difference. This war will prove disastrous for both sides.  I want to do everything possible to make things right.”</p><p>“I understand, Master Zenyatta. Will you meet the other students before leaving?”</p><p>“Of course, lead the way, Grace.”</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Pharah and Genji went towards their shuttle, in anticipation of Zenyatta’s arrival, who wanted to say a few words to his students and fellow mates before leaving with them. As they reached near the shuttle, Pharah asked a question.</p><p>“So, how did you convince your master to join us?”</p><p>“I didn’t, he accepted my offer the moment I presented it. I was surprised as well.”</p><p>“Oh, why is that?”</p><p>“Shambali monks aren’t too fond of participating in conflicts actively. When Master Mondatta was actively working towards bringing peace between humans and omnics, there was dissent amongst other monks, who didn’t want to involve themselves in the active hatred on both sides. They were willing to accept anyone who joined them in the monastery but they were unsure whether the world is still ready to accept these ideologies. Their beliefs were strengthened with Mondatta’a death but….. Wait a minute.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Oh, so that’s why she didn’t want to come?”</p><p>“Genji, you are talking in circles.”</p><p>“Sorry, I was lost in a thought. But Master Zenyatta wants to involve himself like his brother and he is still capable of defending himself against any threats. So he said to me that he is willing to help me prevent this crisis before it escalates.”</p><p>“So that also puts him in dissent with other monks.”</p><p>“Unfortunately.”</p><p>Pharah and Genji conversed for a while when Zenyatta finally joined him.</p><p>“I am ready, Genji. Let’s depart.”</p><p>“Master, were the other monks dissatisfied?”</p><p>“They were disappointed, but I have made my choice.”</p><p>“Alright.”</p><p>Pharah and Genji entered the Aurora with their guest, as Lena was taking a nap. When they were finally inside, Echo tapped on Lena’s shoulder to inform her of the incoming guests. Lena woke from her seat to Zenyatta taking a seat. She immediately stood from her spot and moved towards Zenyatta.</p><p>“Welcome to Overwatch, Master Zenyatta. I am….“</p><p>“Miss Oxton. I know. Genji used to talk about you.”</p><p>“Ohh, is it now?”</p><p>“Hey, I talked about my closest friends in my therapy sessions.”</p><p>“Aw, thanks luv. But really, it’s an honor to meet a Shambali monk. Mondatta was an inspiration to me.”</p><p>“To us all, Miss Oxton. I miss him dearly.”</p><p>Hearing the sadness beneath Zenyatta’s voice, Lena’s heart sank. Her smile disappeared and gloom washed over her face. She was reminded of that dreadful incident, her greatest failure. That night still gave her nightmares. She always wondered if she could have done things differently. But calming her mind and doing her best to bring a smile, she spoke to Zenyatta.</p><p>“Anyways, welcome to Overwatch. We need all the help we can get.”</p><p>Zenyatta nodded his head, as Lena went back to the pilot’s chair and started the liftoff sequence for the Aurora. Zenyatta felt the unease in her mind, as he spoke to Genji.</p><p>“Genji, I sense an odd feeling of unease in Miss Oxton. She felt especially saddened when we talked about Mondatta.”</p><p>“Master, I am afraid you need to talk about that to her personally. I don’t think I am the right person to define that unease. And frankly, she needs your help, just like I did.”</p><p>“Okay, I will help in whatever manner I can.”</p><p>The shuttle lifted off as the pilot spoke. “Buckle your seatbelts, people. Off we go to Kings’ Row.”</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>The shuttle entered British airspace in a few hours. Everyone excluding the pilots were taking some naptime before reaching their destination. Pharah was getting some shuteye while Zenyatta was meditating. As the shuttle approached the landing platform, Lena announced their arrival.</p><p>“Passengers, this is your captain speaking. The shuttle has arrived in Kings’ Row. You can unfasten your seatbelts now.”</p><p>The passengers woke up from their shuteye as the shuttle landed in Kings’ Row. Pharah and Genji unfastened their seatbelts and stood up, extending their limbs to disperse the fatigue from sitting too long. As the exit opened everyone departed from the plane. Lena exited her seat and went outside to see an unexpected guest.</p><p>“Emily, what are you doing here?”</p><p>“Umm, isn’t it obvious? I was waiting for your arrival.”</p><p>“And you accurately predicted the timing.”</p><p>“I always do.”</p><p>A gleeful smile washed over her face as Lena went ahead and embraced her lover snugly. She released her from the hug to look at her face intensely and after a while went ahead for a peck on her lips. Emily hold Lena tight in her embrace as they shared a passionate kiss for a time before releasing each other. Lena then brushed Emily’s cheeks with her hands as she spoke lovingly.</p><p>“Well you are a sight for sore eyes, Em.”</p><p>As the two lovers discussed their affairs, the other passengers were discussing their plans.</p><p>“Genji, I would like to visit my brother’s memorial. I want to pay my respects.”</p><p>“Of course, Master. What would you do in the meantime, Pharah?”</p><p>“I don’t know. Spend time in a pub. Have a drink. I don’t have any plans here exactly.”</p><p>“You could come with me to search for Jesse.”</p><p>Pharah was surprised by Echo’s invitation. It has been years since she last saw McCree, which was before the fall of Overwatch. It seemed like a fun offer, they have a lot of catching up to do. Pharah immediately agreed to the invitation.</p><p>“Guys, I want to spend some time with Emily. Would it be okay if we spend a day here?”</p><p>The other members looked at Lena standing with Emily and decided to agree to the plan.</p><p>“Of course. We also have some work to attend to.”</p><p>“Oh, how so?”</p><p>“Well Echo and I are going in search of Jesse.”</p><p>“Master and I will be visiting Mondatta’s memorial.”</p><p>“Wait, so everybody decided on their tasks.”</p><p>“Yes, it will also give you time to catch up with Emily.”</p><p>“Alright, thanks everyone. We will meet tomorrow then.”</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Genji and Zenyatta were walking through the streets of Kings’ Row towards the Mondatta’s memorial. As they moved on, Genji asked a doubt pondering in his mind.</p><p>“Does the suffering of omnics here bother you, Master?”</p><p>Zenyatta, who seemed lost in his thoughts, immediately glanced towards Genji. Regaining his posture, he answered the question.</p><p>“It does. My brother, Mondatta, gave a lot to alleviate the suffering of omnics. To bring peace amongst humans and omnics. But it was not meant to be.”</p><p>“Do you think we will ever get that conclusion?”</p><p>“What conclusion?”</p><p>“Peace between humans and omnics.”</p><p>“I hope so.”</p><p>As they neared the memorial, some bystanders walking beside them suddenly stopped, looking at them with grave eyes. Genji understood their intent and kept on walking as Zenyatta simply moved forward, Suddenly Genji felt a can of soda flying towards them and he immediately responded by catching it before it hit them. Zenyatta’s focus was disturbed as he turned back to see a few disgruntled civilians and knew what came next.</p><p>“Omnic freaks. You don’t belong here, you bloody wankers.”</p><p>“Yeah, go back to the underground.”</p><p>“That’s the trash hole you belong to. Don’t pollute our streets.”</p><p>Genji was fuming. Hearing these mean words, he almost came close to losing his temper when his master stopped him.</p><p>“Do not mind them, pupil. If we respond them with violence, we are no better than the haters.”</p><p>Genji stopped in his tracks. He chided himself for losing his cool and immediately stepped back. The duo started walking towards the memorial, ignoring the foul comments. Genji still felt upset. Part of him wanted to teach a lesson to them. But violently here will only aggravate the situation. As time moved forward, they finally reached the memorial.</p><p>Zenyatta slowly moved towards the statue of his brother. He saw a few omnics and humans, standing together, holding a solemn silence for the deceased monk. Some in their humane sentiment, lit a few candles. A few omnics stood alongside these humans. Watching them, Zenyatta felt a ray of hope. There were people, humans and omnics together mourning another omnic. If someone like his brother can inspire them to abandon their hatred and join hands in harmony, then perhaps there is a chance. Zenyatta brought one of the orbs floating around him. It opened up to reveal a holographic chip, which lit up to show an image of Shambali monks grouped around him and his brother. He took the chip from his orb and placed it near the memorial wall.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Pharah and Echo were flying in the sky, moving towards their destination. Echo has triangulated McCree’s position somewhere and both of them moved towards their destination. As they came closer to the destination, Pharah magnified the image of their destination and immediately rolled her eyes.</p><p>“Hmmph. Of course he is in a pub. Where else would we find him?”</p><p>The duo descended near the pub as the bystanders were shocked to see a unique omnic and an armored soldier entering the pub, wondering who they were searching.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>McCree was drinking his usual whiskey and having a cigar. He kept the peacekeeper in his holster as he raised the glass to consume the drink the bartender just put in. As he was going to drink it, a voice came behind him.</p><p>“Still drinking and smoking the same brand of whiskey and cigar, aren’t you? Jesse McCree.”</p><p>McCree was concerned as his name was pronounced. He almost identified the voice but being an outlaw, he was always paranoid as to when a law enforcement officer would come for his bounty. He slowly grasped his revolver and turned back to see a very unusual sight, as his face lit up with a smile.</p><p>“That is a rather unusual sight.”</p><p>“Hey cowboy.”</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Lena and Emily reached their home. As soon as they entered, Lena kept her shoes and blinked towards the bed, laying on it. Emily watched her partner resting on her bed with a smile on her face.</p><p>“Home sweet home.”</p><p>“You must be tired, Lena. You want something to drink.”</p><p>“Well, piloting a shuttle for about a day sure is tiresome. I got only a wink of sleep in Nepal.”</p><p>“Oh, so you finally visited the place you wanted to after so long.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Lena, did you do something odd there?”</p><p>“What, no?”</p><p>“Oh my god, you didn’t even go inside the monastery.”</p><p>“Wait, how did you even predict that?”</p><p>“Uhhh.”</p><p>Emily wrapped her face in her palm, releasing a sigh of disappointment. She finally understood what Lena did in Nepal. Feeling concerned, she walked towards Lena and sat beside her, caressing her cheeks while looking into her eyes.</p><p>“Babe, are you still feeling guilty about that incident? You know it wasn’t your fault. How long would you blame yourself for it?”</p><p>“Em, please don’t start now. We had several discussions about it. And I have forgiven myself. But that doesn’t lessen my guilt.”</p><p>“You did everything you could, love.  You shouldn’t blame yourself.”</p><p>Emily embraced Lena in her arms softly, as Lena reassured herself, laying her head on Emily’s shoulders. She felt tired, of the constant guilt in her heart, of her inability to prevent that incident. She kept telling herself that she has forgiven her, but somewhere deep within she realized her failure and keeps blaming herself for it. She remembered those nights she will drink herself to stupor, so she could forget what happened that day. It pained Emily to see her love so broken, so melancholic about that incident, so much that she considered her death would suffice for that failure. She remembered those nights she carried her lover to the bed drunk, as she would start crying in her arms, condemning herself for not doing her best. She would reassure her all night, calming her down, yet her heart would throb in agony, of seeing her lover in torment. Emily, as usual caressed Lena, rubbing her hair as she calmed down when she spoke.</p><p>“Common babe, let’s forget about this. I have downloaded the shows you missed. Let’s binge watch them while having some snacks. I brought all your favorites.”</p><p>“That is great. Let’s do that.”</p><p>Lena then adjusted herself on the couch in front of their holographic television as Emily went inside to bring the snacks. Lena started the program when Emily brought the snacks and placed herself near Lena, laying her head on Lena’s shoulders. Lena rested her cheek on her beloved’s head, as they started the show, enjoying the peace and calm while it lasted.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So the last few chapters have been short. I have been busy with other things. The chapter afterwards will again have normal length as usual. Also any sort of feedback is always welcome. I have decided to rewrite a few chapters, as this was my first time and I am still learning how to give better exposition of story and characters. Stay tuned.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Now that’s quite an unusual sight.”</p><p>McCree rested his prosthetic hand on the table as he took the glass of whiskey in his right hand and took a sip. As he was drinking, the two unexpected guests walked towards him and sat beside him.</p><p>“Jesse, you still prefer the same brand of whiskey and cigar.”</p><p>“What can I say, Pharah? A man gotta have priorities. So how did you guys find me? I thought I was being very discreet.”</p><p>“Well last time we met, cowboy. I scanned your prosthetic arm and put a GPS marker on it. It kinds kept me updated on your location.”</p><p>“That was very sneaky of you, Echo. Bartender give the lady something to drink.”</p><p>“One beer please.”</p><p>The bartender brought a beer for Pharah. As she took the drink in her hand, McCree asked their purpose.</p><p>“So, why find me?”</p><p>“Well, you heard about the reinstatement of Overwatch. So members are being recruited for that purpose.”</p><p>“That is all good but I am an outlaw. I don’t think its wise for Overwatch to recruit someone with a bounty.”</p><p>“Jesse, your status as outlaw only existed because you left Blackwatch. Now that we have been reinstated, UN has given permission to take any necessary steps to prevent this war from escalating.”</p><p>“Besides, we have received actionable intel on Talon from an unanticipated source.”</p><p>Jesse was staggered upon hearing the last bit of information. For years he has been hunting Talon by his own, but with the bounty on his head, he had been unable to make any significant progress. But if Overwatch has received new intel regarding them, maybe it’s time he returned to his home, among his friends. He drank the entire whiskey in the glass in one sip and crushed his cigar.</p><p>“Alright fellas, I am willing to go. Though I still think it is a risk.”</p><p>“Huh, don’t worry, Jesse. It will be fine.”</p><p>Jesse turned around to watch Pharah drink the entire bottle of beer in a few sips. She then put the bottle on the table and got ready to go.</p><p>“Come on, cowboy. Let’s go.”</p><p>Jesse looked at Pharah with a smile as he tapped his hat downward, getting ready to leave.</p><p>“Lead the way.”</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> (Next morning)</p><p>Lena was already waiting near the Aurora for the other passengers to arrive. She arrived early with Emily, who came to bid her farewell. As they waited for other passengers to arrive, Emily asked Lena about the other passengers.</p><p>“So, where did everyone go yesterday?”</p><p>Lena, who was leaning on the side of Aurora, adjusted herself to answer her question.</p><p>“Well, Echo had determined that Jesse was somewhere in Kings Row. So Pharah went along to recruit him. Genji and Zenyatta perhaps went to the Mondatta’s memorial, I think.”</p><p>“Wait, really. You didn’t tell them that area is filled with bigots who will harass them?”</p><p>“I exactly didn’t know where they were going. I only assumed. Though it seems a plausible choice. Wait, dammit.”</p><p>“What happened now, love?”</p><p>“They would have thrown shades against Genji as well. That guy is falsely discriminated as being an omnic. I have seen people low key victimizing him. He has grown more comfortable in his body though, but still.”</p><p>“That is a matter of concern. Oh Lena, here they arrive.”</p><p>Lena shifted her attention to the arriving passengers. She saw Pharah and Echo along with Jesse walking alongside them. From the other side, Genji and Zenyatta were arriving too. She was surprised as to her passengers arrived at the same time, as a smile washed over her face.</p><p>“Over here everyone.”</p><p>Hearing Lena’s voice, everyone moved swiftly to the aircraft when Genji and Jesse crossed each other.</p><p>“Genji, my brother how are you doing?”</p><p>Jesse embraced Genji in his arms as Genji returned the gesture. He left his embrace to see his arm and run his hands along them.</p><p>“So, what happened?”</p><p>“It’s a long story, Genji.”</p><p>Genji understood his intention. Perhaps it’s something personal that happened to him. So, he dropped the question but still gave a fair warning.</p><p>“Well, keep the story, but Angela sure will want to know the truth. You can’t escape her grasp.”</p><p>“That’s what I said him on our way.”</p><p>Pharah interjected on the conversation as both she and Genji started laughing, thinking about the hilarious situation that will happen with him once Angela looks at him. Jesse finally raised up his arms and replied.</p><p>“Well, Doc is a different case. She will definitely kill me once she sees me. I am kinda ready for that, y’all.”</p><p>As everyone reached the shuttle, Lena opened up the cockpit and went inside to start their shuttle. Emily was waiting for them and greeted them as soon as they arrived. Pharah went in as Emily went for a hug.</p><p>“Hey Emily, long time no see.”</p><p>“You too, Pharah. I assume you were busy in your work.”</p><p>“Well we would have seen each other if Lena had accepted Helix’s offer. But now I know what ‘secret’ activity she was involved in.”</p><p>“You know how she is.”</p><p>“So are you coming with us?”</p><p>“Not exactly. I still have a lot of work to complete here. I am involved in a project, which I have to complete in these few months. Work has been progressing slowly. Why did you ask?”</p><p>“Hmm, don’t know. Just a gut feeling. Anyway see you soon Emily.”</p><p>“You too, Pharah.”</p><p>Pharah then left Emily as other passengers entered the shuttle, greeting her. As Genji entered last while entering the shuttle, Emily stopped him in his tracks to discuss something.</p><p>“Genji, can I discuss something with you, if it’s okay?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>Emily took Genji aside as she asked the question that was burning through her mind since yesterday.</p><p>“Genji, did something odd happened to Lena in the monastery?”</p><p>Genji put his hand on his chin. He knew exactly what Emily was asking. He tried to answer it properly.</p><p>“Well, she didn’t come into the monastery. She stayed in the shuttle for the whole duration.”</p><p>“Huh, I knew it.”</p><p>“Did something happen?”</p><p>“No, but I presumed the same thing when we were discussing this yesterday. Huh.. she still hasn’t forgiven herself.”</p><p>“Hmm, is it related to Mondatta’s incident? Because I felt the same when she decided to stay in the plane.”</p><p>“I don’t know Genji. I am concerned she still blames herself for that day. I don’t know how to convince her otherwise.”</p><p>“Maybe my master can help.”</p><p>“He can?”</p><p>“Yes, he realized something was bothering her when her face went gloomy as they began to talk about Mondatta. My master, well he is his brother.”</p><p>“Oh, I am sorry Genji. Would it be a bother if you could ask him to talk to her? Maybe convince her that it wasn’t her fault.”</p><p>“Master said he will talk with her when the time comes. He may be the best person to change her mind.”</p><p>“I hope so. Thank you Genji.”</p><p>Genji then bowed and left the conversation as Emily saw Lena coming towards her. Lena reached Emily as they hold their hands, bidding farewell.</p><p>“Well Emily, this is farewell for now. You sure you don’t want to come with me.”</p><p>“Common Lena.  We discussed that. After I complete the project for the Underground, I will come with you.”</p><p>“I know, Em. I am just concerned.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about me. You just focus on saving the world.”</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>The Aurora entered the Swedish airspace after a few hours of flight. The passengers got the announcement that their flight will be landing at their next destination in a few minutes and were advised to keep their seat belts on for the duration of descent. As the plane descended to their destination, Lena could see the passengers waiting near the Ironclad workshop.</p><p>“Oh there they are.”</p><p>The shuttle landed in a few minutes, doing a gradual descent as it landed near the plains of the workshop. As the landing sequence ended, the passengers started walking towards the shuttle door as it gradually opened, with lot of equipment with them. When the door opened, everyone was surprised to see the passengers in the shuttle. But one of them caught the greatest attention.</p><p>“Fareeha, so good to see you.”</p><p>Pharah stood up with a smile as she released her seatbelt and started walking towards the person who greeted her. As she reached that person, she embraced the person and was lifted up high in the air. After a few while, she was brought back to the surface.</p><p>“Pharah, you have grown so strong from the last time I saw you.”</p><p>“Reinhardt, I am a soldier. Of course I train to keep myself strong. I mean check out these guns.”</p><p>Pharah flexes her biceps as Reinhardt gives a big hearty laugh. Pharah then bows down and embraces Torbjorn as he patted her head. As they laugh wholeheartedly, Brigitte greets Pharah.</p><p>“Hi, Pharah. Been a while.”</p><p>“It sure is, Brigitte.”</p><p>Pharah then closes her fist and raises her hand for a fist bump. Brigitte returns the gesture cordially by closing her fist and tapping the front of her fist with Pharah’s. Then they went in with their special fist bump, as they did multiple gestures of tapping their fists and ended their gesture with a ‘boom’ action from their fists. As they continued their discussion, they started moving towards nthe ship to take their seats, when they were welcomed by an unexpected site. Seeing it, Lena gives her reply.</p><p>“Now, who is our unexpected passenger?”</p><p>Torbjorn finally turns back with a sigh to introduce the unexpected passenger who would take a ride with them.</p><p>“Everyone. This here is an old Bastion unit. I found it in the woods in a Swedish village and it is different from the models of bastion we fought few years back. Don’t worry it won’t harm anyone. Hey come over here and greet everyone.”</p><p>As Torbjorn called the Bastion unit, everyone got a bit wary of the situation unfolding in front of them. They had fought bastion units before, so their caution was understandable. As the bastion unit came in front of them, everyone unexpectedly gave a laugh, looking at its attire.</p><p>“Torbjorn, why have you given him a hat?”</p><p>“Well, he is my assistant. So I gave him an employee uniform. See, even the new armor is designed accordingly. It looks great.”</p><p>“Beep beep beep, boop, boooop.”</p><p>“Do you understand what bastion meant, papa?”</p><p>“How would I know? I don’t speak omnic.”</p><p>“He is happy with that uniform. He is expressing his gratitude.”</p><p>“You understand what he meant, Master.”</p><p>“Of course Genji. But I am surprised a Bastion unit of omnic crisis is still around. Weren’t they designated for removal?”</p><p>“Well it’s a long story. I can tell after we board the aircraft.”</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So with the new short story "Stone by Stone" released recently that gave us lore on Symmetra and Zenyatta's friendship, I decided to include a scene between their meeting in Gibraltar, which is the last scene in this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Satya was taking her complementary recuperating walks to prevent muscular atrophy of her legs, as sunset dawned in the outskirts of watchpoint. Angela was supervising the recuperative walk, taking notes of the recovery rate. She was quite impressed with the resilience Satya has shown over the last few days regarding her recuperation. As Satya finally reached the end of her path, she finally took arrest as Angela went towards her.</p><p>“Good news, Satya. Your recovery has improved quite well. I think you will be able to walk in a few days without your exoskeleton.”</p><p>“Thanks doctor.”</p><p>“Call me Angela. I think we are acquainted enough for that.”</p><p>“As you wish, Angela. So, what should I do after my recovery? It’s not that I can’t go anywhere else and I can’t just be a freeloader. And I want to help in whatever way I can.”</p><p>“Satya, we have already declared you a new recruit. After your recovery, all the new recruits will be put through a training program to work in a team. You already possess top notch skills as field agent. You just have to be introduced to all your teammates and get a synchronization with them. After that, you will be assigned to missions.”</p><p>“That’s reassuring, Angela. It’s just I feel uncertain if I am not active. I always keep myself busy, immersing myself in work. These times of relaxation feel odd to me.”</p><p>“Oh gott, so you are a workaholic. Satya, you are currently a patient. You require rest, not work. It seems I need to increase restriction on your work requirement so that you can rest. Like I did with Lucio.”</p><p>“Fine doctor. I will follow the guidelines. No need for anymore restriction that usual.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, once you have recovered, there will be plenty to do. Common, let’s go inside.”</p><p>“What about the others who were assigned to recruit members?”</p><p>“Oh about them. Genji informed me that they will be arriving tomorrow. We will be getting some new recruits, mostly known faces. Lucio informed me that he has contacted someone who can help them in our mission. They too will be arriving tomorrow. Let’s see what drama will unfold.”</p><p>“Oh, I am sorry, Angela. For the scene that day. It wasn’t my intention..”</p><p>“I am just teasing you, Satya. Besides these drama are the only respite we people will get once the war starts.”</p><p>The two ladies talked with each other, as they walked towards the living hall.</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>(Next Day) All the remaining members of watchpoint waited near the hangar for the shuttle to arrive. Lena has contacted Winston that they were arriving in about a couple of hours. As such, all the available members were waiting in the hangar, though it was early in the day and some felt sleepy. Lucio was wearing an elbow brace to support his broken left arm, as he sleepily walked to stand beside Satya and Mei, who were dressed properly in their Overwatch issued dresses, while rubbing his eyes.</p><p>“Hello Lucio.”</p><p>“Good Morning, sleepyhead.”</p><p>“Uhh, how are you guys so fresh so early in the morning?”</p><p>“Because we woke up early.”</p><p>“That was sarcasm, Satya.”</p><p>“I am just having my eighth, uhh I don’t know tenth coffee. I forgot how many of these I have drank. Woo. Everything seems so slow.”</p><p>“Uh Mei, are you doing okay?”</p><p>“I am completely fine. Why, what happened?”</p><p>Angela and Winston came to Mei who was holding her coffee. Upon hearing her statements, Angela quickly took the coffee right out of her hands, leaving her hands empty, as Mei exclaimed.</p><p>“Hey, I need the coffee. I … what was I saying? Oh right, I need to stay awake and complete my research.”</p><p>“Mei, you have been awake the entire night. The submission date of your research is still over a week later.”</p><p>“Winston, but I am so close to my conclusion. I have to show those báichī how wrong they are. Nàxiē shǎguā.”</p><p>“I don’t know what it exactly means, but I am pretty sure you are reprimanding them, Mei. But that doesn’t mean you should lose sleep.”</p><p>“That’s an order from your doctor, Mei. Go and have a proper sleep after this. After that Winston and I will help you compile your results.”</p><p>“Huhh. Okay Dr. Ziegler. I will sleep after this. (Yawn).”</p><p>“Well anyway, they are arriving. You can get some sleep after the greetings.”</p><p>Everyone turned back to see Sojourn walking down the stairs in her gym clothes. She joined the others standing there, as she drank something from a bottle.</p><p>“Uhh, Sojourn, have you gotten some sleep?”</p><p>“Of course. I get complete rest in about three hours. Advantages of a cyborg body.”</p><p>“That’s not convincing, Sojourn.”</p><p>As everyone gossiped between themselves, the shuttle finally landed in the hanger. Everyone shifted their focus to the incoming passengers, as the exit hatch opened.  </p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>.Pharah and Brigitte were the first ones to emerge, as they moved her Raptora’s armor from the ship to outside. They carried the container slowly outside, followed by other passengers, Genji and Zenyatta. When they finally managed to bring the container outside, Genji and Zenyatta moved forward to be welcomed by a familiar sight.</p><p>“Genji, your journey was all right.”</p><p>“Yes, Angela. Master, this is Doctor Angela Ziegler, the doctor who saved my life. Angela, meet Master Zenyatta, the Shambali monk who accepted me into ways of peace and tranquility.”</p><p>Angela extended her hands in response as Zenyatta returned her gesture. As they stopped shaking their hands, Angela spoke her mind.</p><p>“It is an honor to meet you, Master Zenyatta. I heard a lot about you from Genji in his letters.”</p><p>“The pleasure’s all mine, Doctor Ziegler. Though the same can be said about you as well.”</p><p>“Oh, how’s that?”</p><p>“Let’s just say, you were the first person Genji was reminded of whenever we had the therapy sessions.”</p><p>Angela’s eyes shot up in surprise. She wasn’t expecting to hear this snippet of information. Though she felt giddy at her heart, hearing that she was the first thought that came to his mind, even in his healing sessions. But restraining her emotions, she decided to talk to Zenyatta later about this.</p><p>“Master, Genji will guide you to your living quarters. He did some special arrangements for your needs. After you have settled down, perhaps we can discuss something, if it’s okay with you Master?”</p><p>“Of course Doctor.”</p><p>As their conversation ended, Angela asked Genji to show him his living quarters. Genji complied. As his master went forward, understanding his intentions, Genji slid upon his mask and proceeded to embrace Angela snugly between his arms and kissed Angela’s left cheek. Giving a loving giggle, Angela returned the gesture, giving a peck on Genji’s lips, as they stayed in each other’s warm embrace for some time.</p><p>“I missed you, Angela.”</p><p>“Missed you too, ninja. Now help your master, then we can catch up with everything.”</p><p>“All right.”</p><p>Genji slowly left Angela of his embrace, though reluctantly, as they proceeded to nuzzle their foreheads together. After a few long seconds, Genji finally left Angela’s embrace as he adjusted his helmet and went towards his master. Angela looked at him passionately, with her face glowing with a smile as he disappeared into the living quarters. Then she moved forward to greet the other passengers.</p><p>“Pharah, it’s been so long since I last saw you.”</p><p>“Angela.”</p><p>Pharah went forward and hugged the doctor as Angela returned the gesture. As she left Pharah’s embrace, Pharah finally replied.</p><p>“It’s so good to see you again. We haven’t seen each other physically in like forever.”</p><p>“That’s true. I hope your flight was okay and you faced no trouble.”</p><p>“Other than getting frozen in Nepal, nothing dramatic happened.”</p><p>The two ladies laughed at the funny anecdote, as they were joined by other passengers. Angela looked at Torbjorn and bowed down to give him a hug.</p><p>“Torbjorn, you are finally out of retirement.”</p><p>“Well, you ungar need help from a gubbe like me. Why would I complain?”</p><p>“Is your head doing okay? Last time we talked, I told you to get your head checked.”</p><p>“Well, Doc the headaches have surely reduced a lot. If that’s what you are asking.”</p><p>“Haha…ha.. Anyway, tell Ingrid I still miss her and her delicious apple pies.”</p><p>“Sure Doc.”</p><p>Torbjorn then left Angela, followed by Reinhardt and Brigitte who carried his equipment. But she was taken aback with the sight of a bastion following them. They were informed prior about the situation, but seeing it first hand was somewhat startling. She then turned backward to welcome the other passenger, with Pharah standing beside her when she looked at the other person with widened eyes.</p><p>“Jesse, what crappy situation did you put yourself through these last few years? Why did you stay out of contact with everyone? Why do you have a cybernetic arm? And why are you still smoking even if I warned you not to?”</p><p>“Wow doc, one question at a time. I am gonna get confused if I am bombarded with so many questions at once.”</p><p>Angela went ahead to grab Jesse’s ear, as Jesse winched in pain, before freeing him. Jesse then looked up to see a dejected face of Angela, as she hugged him, her head on his chest.</p><p>“Dummkopf, you didn’t think of contacting us these last few years. Were we that much of outsiders to you, Jesse?”</p><p>McCree could hear the melancholy in Angela’s voice. He was perhaps the only person amongst them to know her for the longest time. He knew how she felt, and he reminded himself daily of the agony of leaving his family for the purpose of duty. He still accused himself of cowardice, of leaving her alone to deal with the consequences of Overwatch’s destruction. Hearing the lament in her voice, he voiced his opinion.</p><p>“Sorry Angela, for leaving you alone to deal with the crap. I promise to be better this time.”</p><p>Angela then left his embrace and looked up into Jesse’s downcast face, as she removed the tears on her face. She then replied.</p><p>“Fine, you better keep your promise this time. Common Jesse, Pharah, let me introduce to some of our new recruits.”</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Winston went to Lena and echo who were the last to come out of the shuttle. As he came closer, Lena went ahead and hugged the scientist, as Winston returned the gesture.</p><p>“Lena, how was your flight? Was everything okay?”</p><p>“Everything was fine, big guy.”</p><p>“Did you meet with Emily? I told her you might be visiting her.”</p><p>“I did, we spent a night before I left.”</p><p>“Did she agree to your proposal?”</p><p>“About coming here. No Winston. You know how she is. Stubborn and determined to complete her task. She said she won’t budge until her work for the Underground is not completed yet.”</p><p>“That’s Emily for sure. Well anyway, come in. Now that we have new members, we can discuss our new plan of action.”</p><p>“All right, big Guy.”</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Angela took Pharah and Jesse to introduce them to the newly recruited agents. As they moved forward, Pharah saw something that was completely unexpected, as she was startled for a moment.</p><p>“Guys, these are our new agents. Dr. Mei Ling Zhou, Lucio Santos and ….”</p><p>“Miss Satya Vaswani. What a pleasant surprise.”</p><p>“Wait Pharah, you know her.”</p><p>“Hello, miss Fareeha Amari. It’s been a long time.”</p><p>“That’s an understatement.”</p><p>“Wait I am confused too. How do you two know each other?”</p><p> Both the party in question, Satya and Pharah looked at Angela in confusion. Everyone else looked at them in confusion. Heaving a sigh, they decided to explain the situation, with Satya allowing Pharah to explain first.</p><p>“Huh, well when Helix Security sent me and my team to broker a deal between Vishkar and Helix regarding providing protection to Vishkar’s developments, Vishkar sent her as the deal breaker. Our esteemed lady here, Miss Vaswani rejected the offer made by Helix by quoting (mimicking Satya’s stoic mocking voice) ‘We don’t need an army to keep the peace, we prefer our own methods.’ ”</p><p>“That’s not how I sound like.”</p><p>“No, you exactly sound like that Satya, especially when you are arguing.”</p><p>“Not one more word from you, Lucio.”</p><p>“Okay, but damn, why do you have to antagonize everyone you saw?”</p><p>“You know the reason well, Mr. Santos.”</p><p>Pharah then interjected into the conversation, asking her the question that was in her mind.</p><p>“So, Vishkar sent you as their ambassador to Overwatch. Not surprising.”</p><p>As Pharah said this statement, Satya’s face went gloomy, as she lowered her face, not looking at her directly. Pharah was confused by this gesture, thinking whether she tripped a line she shouldn’t have. As she proceeded to ask politely if she said something hurtful, Angela intervened.</p><p>“Pharah, the situation is not straightforward. Come with me, I need to explain the situation. Mei and Lucio, will you kindly take Satya with you to her room? Then you both should get some rest.”</p><p> Mei and Lucio complied, as they took Satya witht hem towards their living quarters. Jesse and Pharah were sorely confused by the situation as Angela led them to their rooms.</p><p>“Angela, did I ask something upsetting?”</p><p>“It is a long story, Pharah and Jesse. Come with me I will explain the situation.”</p><p>The three of them moved towards the recreation room. Pharah and Jesse took their respective seats, as Angela explained the situation.</p><p>“Well, you might have been told that we received new intel regarding Talon.”</p><p>“Yeah, we were told.”</p><p>“Well she is the informant. The one, who provided us with this valuable intel.”</p><p>“Say what now.”</p><p>Angela then proceeded to explain the situation under which Satya was recruited. The escape from Vishkar, her close death call, the relation between Vishkar and Talon. As the two people listened to the facts, they were astounded by the tragedies she had to face to reach out to Overwatch. Pharah bowed down and put her palm on her forehead, as she started regretting what she said.</p><p>“Oh my god, why did I say those things to her?”</p><p>“It’s understandable. You weren’t supposed to know.”</p><p>“But I am surprised Vishkar would do such thing to her.”</p><p>“They are a corporate organization, Pharah. What would you expect?”</p><p>“You don’t understand, Angela. Satya Vaswani wasn’t just an architect. She was Vishkar’s biggest asset. Literally any important deal that came across Vishkar, she would be sent to complete the deal. Vishkar literally relied on her a lot. She even played a major part in increasing Vishkar’s influence.”</p><p>“Using corporate espionage, yeah we know.”</p><p>“She must have known something really dangerous for Vishkar to assassinate her.”</p><p>“Wow, so you are saying this new recruit is a brilliant architect as well as a field agent dealing with tactical espionage, who was betrayed by the company she worked for because she knew something above her pay grade.”</p><p> “That’s the summary, yes Jesse.”</p><p>“Does Talon or Vishkar know she is with us?”</p><p>“Not yet. But since we have now been reinstated, we will be able to keep her secure until the situation is resolved. Since she is already a field agent, we can take her help, if she wishes to provide it.”</p><p>“That’s mighty fine. Well anyway have I been assigned the same room as before?”</p><p>“Yes Jesse, common let’s get you two patched up. We will be discussing other important matters tomorrow.”</p><p> Angela guided the two people to their respective rooms, as they decided to rest for the day.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Satya walked through the corridors as she requested  Mei and Lucio to give her some space. The meeting with Fareeha Amari was a bit distressing, but she wasn't privy to her defection from Vishkar. She still knew her from a time when she strongly believed in Vishkar's ideals, so her confusion was comprehensible. She trudged through the corridors towards the empty walkway and reached a nice spot where she could see the setting sun in the backdrop of a spectacular horizon adorned with brilliantly orange hue. She created a hard light chair and sat on it, enjoying cool evening breeze flowing near the beach. As she pondered over events of the day, a familiar voice surprised her as she turned around to see an old acquaintance.</p><p>"Satya Vaswani, It's been a while."</p><p>Satya turned back to see Genji and his master Zenyatta approaching her. A genuine smile washed over her face, as her body relaxed and her eyes softened, in presence of a face she hasn't seen in some while.</p><p>"Zenyatta, it's been some time. How's everything in Suravasa and Shambali?"</p><p>"Oh it ahs been fine. Though I suppose recent events have been troubling, to say the least."</p><p>"Yes, Null Sector's actions have been hideous. It is a disgrace to everything Aurora sacrificed for."</p><p>"You are right, Satya. I wish to restore peace between us, so the sacrifice by Aurora and Mondatta isn't wasted on these meaningless squabbles."</p><p>"Wait Master, you know her?"</p><p>Zenyatta and Satya then turned towards Genji who was visibly confused with the occurrence. They both glanced at each other and chuckled for a while as Genji's uncertainty soared. Zenyatta finally looked at his confused student and narrated the story of how he and Satya came to meet, about Satya's stay in the temple of Aurora and how she reconstructed the broken statue of Aurora in a unique way. Genji was astonished at the story when he came to a realization.</p><p>"Wait, last time I took my pilgrimage, I noticed a significant change in Aurora's statue. I could feel the essence of Kintsugi in that."</p><p>"Ahh that, Zenyatta gave me the inspiration for that masterpiece. Accepting imperfections as part of our life. Though previously partial about it, I have came to accept this ideology.  I find it, beautiful per se."</p><p>"Well frankly speaking Satya, I got the inspiration from Genji. I was amazed at his ability to create such fine art."</p><p>"It helped me redirect my rage into something more meaningful. I always felt calm, constructing broken bowls with golden threads."</p><p>"My my, Genji, you are a man of talents."</p><p> "Arigatou Gosaimasu."</p><p>The trio had a good chuckle as they continued their discussion till the night set in Gibraltar.</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s been over a week since the new and old members joined Overwatch and settled in Gibraltar. Everyone had been assigned their own rooms and they had been divided into teams, consisting of new and old alike. With the funding from UN, Overwatch has set up a proper base in Gibraltar and for time being, they had decided to use the watchpoint as a primary base, until stated otherwise by UN. The infirmary, workshop and the hangar were now overhauled with more equipment, some bought and some built by the Winston, Torbjorn and Brigitte. The infirmary have been retrofitted with new components built and patented by Angela herself, for more effective treatment of field agents, and Zenyatta has been assigned as the new psychotherapist, pertaining to his brilliant work with Genji. A new member had joined the Overwatch later, invited by Lucio himself, who was the youngest amongst them. Her name was Efi, who is a brilliant robotics engineer and she also brought an omnic with her, whom she addressed as Orisa. Although at first members of Overwatch were skeptic, when Efi explained the situation behind Orisa, she was gladly welcomed amongst their ranks.</p><p>Satya and Lucio were in the infirmary. Today was the day their castings will be removed and they will be assigned to active duty. Angela and Zenyatta looked over all the reports and instrument readings to detect any anomalies. They then discussed amongst themselves whether they are fit for duty. Lucio was rotating his arms as Satya sat calmly, with her legs on each other when she spoke.</p><p>“Do you think they will release us from treatment today?” At which Lucio was a bit surprised, as it was rare that Satya would start a conversation willingly, but still he replied.</p><p>“I think they would. I mean my left arm was broken. Due to Dr. Ziegler’s miraculous technology, it healed way quicker than I expected. But from what I heard, you were injured quite severely. Are you okay returning to active duty?”</p><p>“I am.”</p><p>“Okay, from what I have heard, you are to be assigned to Genji’s squad for now.”</p><p>“What about other squads?”</p><p>“Four squads have been formed. The squad that we belong to is led by Genji and Angela. The second squad is being led by Reinhart and Torbjorn. The third squad is led by McCree and Pharah and fourth squad is led by Tracer and Winston. Most members have been assigned their squads and Sojourn will be handing out the missions.”</p><p>“Which squad are you with?”</p><p>“I have been assigned to Reinhardt’s squad. Since Brigitte was reassigned to McCree’s squad, I am to act as support to their team. Although members can be reassigned, based on requirements.”</p><p>“Hmm, a balanced setup. Impressive.”</p><p>As they conversed with each other, the doctors arrived with their verdict. Satya readjusted herself to listen to what the doctor has to say. Angela the finally announced their release from treatment.</p><p>“Good news, you two. Satya, your wounds have completely recovered. There are no complications. You are free for active duty. Lucio, your hand fracture has healed quite well. You too can join active duty from now on. Both of you are discharged.”</p><p>Satya finally had a smile on her face. It‘s been a while she had been under treatment. Her injuries were severe and life threatening. She could feel the burden on her mind vanishing, as she smiled to herself for surviving. She stood up from the seat and bowed her head in gratitude, appreciating everything Angela did to save her life. Lucio too expressed his gratitude for saving his life as Angela instructed both of them to still take it easy but advised them to join their squads and prepare themselves for missions. As Angela ended her conversation, Satya and Lucio left the room towards their quarters to prepare themselves for meeting their squad mates.</p><p>Angela watched them as they left as she fiddled with her documents. She then turned towards Zenyatta, who seemed to be in a quiet mood, as she thanked him for his assistance. Zenyatta, in response acknowledged her gratitude.</p><p>“It is my pleasure to help in any way possible.”</p><p>“If I may not have said it earlier, I would like to thank you for helping Genji with his dilemma. He has finally achieved balance with his body and mind, all thanks to your guidance.”</p><p>“I would like to take the credit completely, if it had been true.”</p><p>“What do you mean by that?”</p><p>“Dr. Ziegler, Genji’s healing has already started with the last few months spent with Overwatch before he left. I just nudged him in accepting his situation with an open mind.”</p><p>Angela looked at Zenyatta with a surprised shock. From what she recalled, she had seen signs of distress and discomfort in Genji in those months. He felt unhappy with his body, feeling an odd blood thirst. He had taken his vengeance, yet he felt empty. Perhaps that’s why he left, as he felt he could not achieved the peace and balance he needed in his life. As she pondered over his thoughts, Zenyatta finally answered.</p><p>“Dr. Ziegler, Genji, during his therapy sessions, talked a lot about a few members of Overwatch. I felt a sense of serenity and happiness from him when he talked about them. In his sessions, he usually talked about his brother, Miss Oxton, Mr. Winston and Mr. McCree, about his positive memories he built with them, how each of them brought a sense of calm to his raging mind. But the person he mentioned the most in his sessions, was you, Dr.Ziegler.”</p><p> “Me. That’s .. I don’t know what to say.”</p><p>“He exclaimed about the discussions you did with him, especially the ones regarding your research.”</p><p>“Wait, he actually remembered what he heard. I was just glad I found someone to talk about those. I didn’t know he actually listened to those long boring discussions.”</p><p>“He actually remembered every single detail of those discussions. I feel he truly achieved that serenity in his mind when he was with you. He confessed that his departure was due to the conflict he felt with the empty feeling of revenge, that he still couldn’t forgive his brother for what happened, even if he knew that both he and his brother suffered from their incident. I just helped him realize that perhaps his inner peace would come from forgiveness.”</p><p>Angela was still astounded upon gaining this information. It gladdened her mind. She felt an odd sense of serenity and satisfaction, her lips curving up to a smile, as she acknowledged this.</p><p>“Thank you, for telling me this.”</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Satya was walking towards the kitchen. Being busy with the medical procedures, she didn’t have a proper breakfast, so she decided to go to the kitchen and fix something up. When she reached the kitchen, she saw Sojourn and Winston there, discussing something. As she saw them, she slightly bowed down to greet them, as they responded to her.</p><p>“Satya, you were to be medically discharged today, right?”</p><p>“Yes, Winston. Dr. Ziegler gave an all clear and permitted me to start working.”</p><p>“Splendid, we surely could use any assistance. You are informed of your squad assignment, right.”</p><p>“Informally, yes. Lucio mentioned in a conversation.”</p><p>“Well the official assignment will be presented soon. In the meantime, you can meet your squad mates. We will soon be deployed to other places. The Null Sector forces have been encroaching on other cities of the world.”</p><p>“I see.”</p><p>Satya suddenly had her eye on the document Sojourn was reading, which depicted some security options to be installed in the facility. Finding this intriguing, she decided to give her input to the persons sitting in front of her.</p><p>“Sojourn, may I sit if you don’t mind?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>Satya took a chair beside Sojourn. As she settled herself on the chair, she expressed her notion.</p><p>“If you don’t mind me asking, are you looking for new security features to be installed in this facility?”</p><p>“Hmm, yes. This base has become rundown in these last few years,..”</p><p>“And the last attack on this base compromised the security.”</p><p>“Exactly, Winston.  So we are looking for purchasing any upgrades required for this installation.”</p><p>“Maybe I can help in that regard.”</p><p>Sojourn and Winston stopped their respective tasks, as they were intrigued by this offer presented by Satya.  They kept their possessions on the table and leaned close to listen.</p><p>“Do you have something in mind, Satya?”</p><p>“Of course. Back in Utopea, I designed the entire security system for the main installation. I believe I can do the same for this watchpoint, if allowed permission.”</p><p>“So you are saying, you can setup a proper security installation for Gibralatar all alone. That seems to be a humongous task, Miss Satya. Are you sure you can do it?”</p><p>“Give me a couple of days, Sojourn. I think I will be able to complete it by then. If permitted. If you don’t prefer my arrangements, I can revert them back quite easily.”</p><p>Winston and Sojourn sat back and deliberated over the proposition. Meanwhile Satya took a cup of tea and crossed her legs, sipping on her beverage. After a while, Sojourn and Winston looked at Satya and gave their reply.</p><p>“Very well, you can go ahead with this idea of yours. Athena, give her all the access she needs and work with her. How much duration would you need?”</p><p>“Three days.”</p><p>“Hmm, that is a pretty tight constraint. Will you be able to finish it?”</p><p>“Absolutely.”</p><p>Sojourn and Winston gave a nod of approval to Satya for implementing her idea. Gaining their authorization, Satya immediately went to work, but not before getting her breakfast in the microwave.</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Pharah was assembling the weapons of her suit in the workshop. She connected the firing mechanism of her grenade launcher and attached a concussion projectile to her arm launcher. As she busy fiddling with her equipment, Torbjorn and Brigitte walked towards her.</p><p>“Hey Pharah. What are you doing?”</p><p>Pharah turned back to see two engineers standing behind her. She kept her equipment and turned to answer the query.</p><p>“Oh Brigitte, I was just reassembling my equipment.”</p><p>“I have to say your suit is a work of marvelous engineering.”</p><p>“Impressive isn’t it? Hey Torbjorn, why don’t you check out the suit, Mark VI, state of the art?”</p><p>“Hmm. Jump jets ………. Concussion rockets ……….. Hmm. It’s looking pretty good. How about it, Fareeha, let me add some more improvements?”</p><p>“And mess it up with a bunch of scrap metal bolted to its side?  No thanks, I like the way it is.”</p><p>“Aww come on, Fareeha. I won’t mess up such a fine piece of engineering.”</p><p>“Besides Torbjorn, I already have asked Brigitte to make any improvements.”</p><p>“It will take me some time to get familiar with the design, but sure I would definitely look into it.”</p><p>“Really! Huh, I must have been getting old and senile.”</p><p>“Haha, your daughter has surpassed you, my old friend.”</p><p>Torbjorn took a deep sigh as he heard the hearty laughter of Reinhardt, as he complimented his squire on her engineering skills. Still, he was happy for her daughter surpassing his legacy, so he complimented his statement.</p><p>“Of course she would. She is a Lindholm, remember.”</p><p>“Aww, Papa.”</p><p>“I will always be proud of you, Brigitte.”</p><p>As Fareeha listened these words, her face grew grave. Her eyes were downcast and her smile disappeared, unnoticed by the present company. She was reminded of her mother and her constant disappointment with her choices. Those few words, that all she ever yearned to hear from her mother. For that, she worked hard to reach where she was, yet she never got a single word of praise. As these thoughts clouded her mind, she kept up an inscrutable face, so that others won’t see her dejection.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>It has been two days since Satya was handed her assignment. She had been working in parallel to Athena to install the security features and integrate them with Athena’s processing capabilities. As she moved from room to room setting off the features, she was greeted by the occupants of the room. But she only gave them a simple bow and kept working to finish the project in the stipulated time. Others also tried not to disturb her much as they carefully watched her setting up turrets and sensors in each of the rooms. Winston and Sojourn also monitored her work and saw the determination and fluency with which she completed the assignment, which frankly astonished them. It was the third day when Satya was working in the hangar room when she was visited by Lena, who came with a coffee in her hand.</p><p>“Hey luv. Have some coffee.”</p><p>Satya, who was concentrated on the setup, had her attention broken as she turned around to see Lena standing, handing her a coffee. She graciously accepted the beverage and took a few sips as Lena stood back and observed her handiwork. Satya, thinking she might need to sit, created a hardlight chair beside her, which astonished Lena. Graciously accepting the offer, she sat on the chair, continuing her observation.</p><p>As Lena continued her observation, a couple of people entered the room, talking and laughing loudly with each other. Satya’ face grew into a frown as she felt the loud and obnoxious noise they were making, disturbing her concentration. She recognized the person immediately from the voice.</p><p>“Really, you single handedly held of the invasion till Overwatch arrived.”</p><p>“Damn right I did. Rio is my turf. I was not going to let it be destroyed.”</p><p>Satya was feeling irritated with the rambunctious noise they were creating. She decided to turn around and confront them when the noise was replaced with absolute silence. She was astounded and turned around to see the two visitors sitting silently, sipping their beverages. Lena then made a signal with her hands which convinced Satya what had happened. Without speaking anything, she created a few more hardlight chairs, so that any other guests can sit if they arrive. She instructed Lena to give the chairs to any other visitors, who arrive, to which Lena agreed. With the silence established, Satya continued her work. Her work was nearing completion and she was making the final preparation with Athena, as she installed the final IFF system and linked it to Athena’s database in terms of ID signature, so that Athena can effectively control the entire security infrastructure by herself. She created a hardlight interface where she watched all the installed features in each of the rooms. Then she finally talked.</p><p>“Impressive. All features installed. Athena, the control is yours. Activate the defenses. And Athena, can you ask Winston and Sojourn to come over? I think we are ready for a presentation.”</p><p>“No need, Symmetra, they are sitting right behind you.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Satya turned around to see an entire audience sitting in the chairs she provided, sipping on their drinks. Next to Lena, Genji, Angela, Fareeha, McCree, Echo, Brigitte, Mei, Winston and Sojourn were sitting in respective order, waiting for her task to finish. They had seen Satya working persistently for the last three days, trying to complete the assignment. They were impressed by her tenacity and devotion to her work. So everyone decided to be spectators to the conclusion of her project. Satya felt a bit odd with the audience, but she was so engrossed with the work, she didn’t realize the large crowd behind her. Even if she felt a bit uncomfortable with the crowd, the way they had arranged themselves on the chairs in a symmetrical fashion soothed her mind, as she prepared herself to demonstrate her assignment.</p><p>“Winston, the assignment is complete. If you are not busy, I can show a demonstration.”</p><p>“Of course, Satya. Go ahead. We all were eagerly waiting for it.”</p><p>“All right. Athena activate the defenses.”</p><p>As Athena activated the defenses, the entire Watchpoint lit up with an azure serene glow as everyone simultaneously exclaimed like children, watching the calm glow flowing over them. As everyone settled down in a while, Satya started her explanation.</p><p>“So, this security system is based on IFF system related to the ID signature of each of the Overwatch assigned ID. Athena will always keep watch on each of the members. There are invisible cameras that can be detected with scanners using beyond visible spectrum, as well as turrets attached to it. All the cameras are equipped with infrared and ultra violet spectrum analyzers, so that anyone infiltrating with optical camo can still be detected. The ground are set with motion sensors that detect intruders. Athena, I am throwing an object. Consider it a foe and take necessary actions.”</p><p>“Affirmative.”</p><p>Satya took a pachimari plush that was residing near the table beside her and threw it in the middle, as everyone focused on what was about to happen. As the pachimari reached halfway in the air, beams of energy stuck it out of nowhere, stopping the plush in the middle. Everyone was shocked to see the beams emerging from turrets that were slightly difficult to detect. The plush was kept in air after which the beams grew brighter and in a moment of flash, it was burned to ashes. Everyone displaced from their seats, some suddenly dropping their cups out of reflex towards bright things, some looking at the whole thing with their eyes and jaws open. The entire audience were driven to uproar, as everyone started clamoring with what happened in front of the eyes. Satya closed her ears to reduce the noise from the uproar, as she saw Winston telling everyone to calm down, as he decided to emulate their confusion with his statement. The crowd eventually went silent, as Winston reiterated their utter confusion.</p><p>“Satya, were you trying to create an inescapable prison?”</p><p>“Uhh no, I was thinking more in terms of impregnable fortress. Is something wrong? I can change the setting to stun instead of blast, if it’s too much violent.”</p><p>“So basically you are saying, if anyone infiltrates this facility, there is a good chance they will be burned to crisp.”</p><p>“Not my exact intention, but yes. I suspect it was not to your liking.”</p><p>The entire crowd went silent as everyone started looking at each other, their eyes widened. Then a giggle emerged from one among the audience, slowly joined by giggles and laughs from others as the entire room was filled with laughter. Satya was confused by the awkwardness she felt with the laughter around her as her confusion was finally cleared by Sojourn.</p><p>“Satya you did a fine job. The security features are top notch. Even with proper funds, we might not have been able to procure such advanced security measures. We are impressed.”</p><p>“Really, then why is everyone laughing?”</p><p>“Because the non-callous way you said that there is definitely a chance the system will melt an intruder trying to infiltrate was unintentionally hilarious.”</p><p> “And we are just afraid we have appease Athena properly, now you have given her such a dangerous weapon in control. I hope we don’t antagonize you Athena.”</p><p>As Satya listened to the explanation, she couldn’t find the humor in the situation. She was quite serious when she said that the system was designed to keep any intruder out or deal with them lethally. She couldn’t understand why the audience first were terrified then laughed at the situation. She felt the awkwardness as she implied.</p><p>“You people are weird.”</p><p>“We are sorry, Satya. Your work is really impressive. I believe your effort really shows. You did a fine job. Congrats.”</p><p>The statement was followed by a huge round of applause. Satya felt a glimmer of warmth in her heart, as she closed her eyes and bowed before the audience, graciously accepting their commendation.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So next chapter we will see what is happening in Talon and mysteries connected to Sombra's  apparent help for Symmetra and its aftereffects. Stay tuned for next chapter fellas.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So this chapter is the first part of a two part chapter dealing certain talon operations and ramifications of previous actions will be observed. How the outcome of actions undertaken by Sombra will emerge slowly, will be explored in next chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was the middle of the night as a woman clad in purplish pink attire walked down the streets of Dorado, a purplish glow emerging from her limbs, shining her path. The woman traveled across the dimly lit streets of the suburbs of Dorado towards her destination, as the streets were empty, pertaining to the restraining order given by Mexican government with regards to Null Sector attack. The woman reached the end of her journey when she came across a dilapidated building. She entered the place and put her hands on one of the pristine walls, the place modifying to show a fingerprint scanner. She touched the panel, which activated a door. She entered the door to reach her secret apartment, her previous one being self- destructed due to its discovery by some intruders, namely a Russian soldier, Aleksandra Zaryanova and an omnic who followed her. As she entered the apartment, she stood alerted to someone’s presence in the room, drawing her SMG and switched on the lights.</p><p>“Sombra.”</p><p>Sombra gazed at the man and woman sitting in her chair, as she breathed a sigh of relief. Her body calmed down knowing the presence to be not dangerous as she holstered her weapon to greet her fellow teammates.</p><p>“Mi favorita, to what do I owe this pleasure?”</p><p>The man, wearing an owl’s mask and clad in black attire, with shotgun shells adoring his chestplate stood with his arms crossed with what seemed to be a frown on his face. Beside him, a woman with purple skin, clad in a skintight suit with ammo pouches attached behind her waist, her back adoring a large tattoo of a spider, fiddled with her visor and venom mine dispenser, with a modified custom sniper rifle placed on the desk, as she remained unfazed with what was happening.</p><p>“So where were you at, Sombra?”</p><p>“Mi, I was busy, doing what I usually do.”</p><p>“You mean, sabotaging organizations.”</p><p>“Oh Gabe, you know me so well.”</p><p>Sombra moved towards the chair near her and took a seat. She crossed her legs and leaned back on the chair, spreading her hands over her head while yawning, as she queried Reaper.</p><p>“So Boss, have we been assigned any mission?”</p><p>“Yes, gather your equipment. We are moving out now. The transport is waiting outside.”</p><p>“Oh, bonita. So assassination or intel gathering.”</p><p>“Both.”</p><p>Sombra was surprised as the sniper lady stood up from her position, holding her rifle and wearing her equipment, gazing at her with piercing eyes. She then proceeded towards the entrance as Sombra kept looking at her.</p><p>“We wasted a lot of time. Let’s keep moving.”</p><p>Watching the cold chilling demeanor, Sombra decided to tease the sniper, as she jumped from her seat and landed near her, looking at her with grinning face.</p><p>“Oh my favorite spider, I wonder what web you are spinning tonight.”</p><p>The sniper stopped in her tracks, her fingers getting trigger ready. Her eyes twitched and a side grin appeared on her lips, as she turned her face close towards the hacker standing beside her and talked, gazing into her eyes.</p><p>“It would be such a shame if something happened to you on this mission. A real pity.”</p><p>“Enough, you two. Widowmaker, Sombra we have a job to do, so let’s get to it.”</p><p> Reaper moved forward as the two women followed him towards their transport for their mission.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Widowmaker positioned her sniper rifle on the top of the roof of a nearby building, about half a kilometer from intended location, as she laid down on the roof. She activated her visor and slowed down her breath, looking through the powerful scope of her sniper rifle towards the building in question. She glanced through the scope the entirety of the location, as the visor pointed out the opponents behind the walls, giving her an overall view about the reinforcements of the place. She revealed a spotting scope from her back pouch and tagged the targets in the building with the help of her visor. There were a significant troops allocated to the target who was to be captured and then assassinated. From the mission debriefing, the target was a high ranking official in US government, but the reason behind the capture was redacted. It wasn’t just this that was unusual. This time, someone else also accompanied them on this mission. Someone Widowmaker has seen before and didn’t want to associate with ever again. No one knew his real name, but he was just known as ‘Agent T05M3NT’.</p><p>“Reaper, sending you visual data. Targets are tagged. As soon you give the signal, I will start shooting.”</p><p>“Roger. Sombra, get to work. Disable their defenses.”</p><p>“Okay Gabe.”</p><p>“And whatever screw up you want to do, do it after we complete our objectives.”</p><p>“Oh Gabe, cuando lo he hecho?”</p><p>“Sombra.” Reaper glared at Sombra with an abrasive tone, eyes seemingly squinting, notifying her not to push any more buttons. She immediately activated her optical camo and moved inside the building. Running through the hallway, she threw her translocator on the third floor, where a guard was patrolling the location and looking outside the window. As the translocator came in front of him, he took a step back, but was too late to take of the safety of his rifle, when Sombra appeared in front of him and kicked him in the jaw, slamming his head on the wall.</p><p> As he was left unconscious, Sombra heard a few murmuring soldiers headed her way, so she took the body of the soldier and pushed it of the window to the bush below and disappeared. As she moved through the corridors, she finally reached a control room, inhabited by three soldiers. She scanned the room through her cybernetic optical scanner and found that the soldiers possessed optical augmentations. Her eyes relaxed and her lips grinned sideways, as she looked up confidently, knowing what comes next. She saw a vent near a wall, which seemed the only option to enter the room without alerting others, so she entered the vent and reached on the top of the room, where she could see the two soldiers watching the door, while another soldier was looking through the security systems and fiddling with the communications device. She immediately dropped her translocator down. As the translocator seemed to just reach the floor, unbeknownst to the soldiers inside, a huge flash of purplish light emerged within seconds, blinding the soldiers, as they heard a whisper.</p><p>“Apagando las luches.”</p><p>The soldiers’ optical augmentations went haywire, as they were staggered, shaking their head in shock, unable to pull the trigger. Taking the chance, Sombra moved towards one soldier, holding his armed hand and tackled him, slamming his body using his own weight. She drew the combat knife in his holster and stabbed his neck, cutting his carotid artery and then pulled it, throwing the knife into the other stunned soldier’s eye. The one looking at the monitor, tried to reach for his pistol, but Sombra grabbed his hand and neck, pushing him down on the ground. She pushed the man to the ground and locked his arm, removing the knife in his holster and slashed his throat, putting him out of commission. As the soldiers bled to their death, Sombra rose from her position and sat on the chair, hacking into the security systems and isolating the compound from external communications. She activated her com device and informed her fellow agents.</p><p>“Control room secured. Proceed with your operation.”</p><p>As Widowmaker got the signal, she slowed down her breath and looked through her scope, pointing her rifle towards the combatants on the fourth floor. As Reaper and T05M3NT reached the entrance waiting for Widowmaker’s signal, she pulled the trigger.</p><p>The combatant’s head was blown off which shocked the other soldiers in the room as they pulled their weapons and looked across the window, taking cover away from windows. With the first shot fired, the two agents outside got the signal, who bashed into the room. Reaper pulled his shotguns and started shooting, blasting the confused combatants. The other agent, pulled both his specialized pistols and started shooting as well, blowing the heads off. They started their carnage as the entire building was is uproar with the intruders slaughtering the soldiers on their path. Unable to concentrate they started firing at the incoming intruders, when their heads were blown off from bullets approaching from outside. Some of them took cover, hiding across the windows. Widowmaker’s lips widened as she chuckled a laugh with an ominous tone, remarking something.</p><p>“No one can hide from my sight.”</p><p>The combatants who took cover, got shot at as Widow fired her rifle through the walls, penetrating them and hitting the targets. She continued her assault from the distance, as she saw the other snipers deployed in the building trying to see her through the scope. The moment they laid their eyes on the target shooting at them, a bullet pierced through the scope and into their eyes, killing them instantly. Sombra turned the defense measures, like the security turrets against the combatants, which shredded them to their death, when she glanced through the one of the cameras, seeing the target escape with a black box in his hand. Seeing the target fleeing, Sombra informed the sniper about the situation.</p><p>“Arana, the target is escaping.”</p><p>“Roger that. And don’t call me that.”</p><p> Widowmaker threatened Sombra with an ominous warning as she looked through the scope to watch the target escaping with a black box, accompanied by four soldiers, towards their VTOL as the thrusters got activated. She shot three bullets in tandem, as one pierced the hull of the VTOL and took out the pilot, the other penetrated the head of one the soldiers and the third one pierced the knee of the target, incapacitating him as he fell down, howling in pain. The other soldiers were alerted to the situation and moved to deal with it, when the doors burst open and the other two agents reached the roof and immediately shot the soldiers, killing them. Widowmaker, with her role finished, disassembled her setup and moved from the location towards their transport, waiting for other passengers to arrive. She seemed reluctant to join the others, as her skin crawled and her eyes frowned with lips twisting and nose fraying, thinking about approaching with that person there.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Sombra reached the roof soon after they killed all the soldiers and captured the target. When she reached up top, she saw the other agent picking the injured target by his neck, dragging him along towards the secluded location. As he crossed her, Sombra saw his eyes twitching and his face with a wide grin, showing a glimpse of sadism, as if a hunter has caught its prey, ready to torture before consuming it. She felt her body tremble in disgust, as she crossed one hand over another’s elbow, rubbing them to ease the disgust, all while swaying her shoulder involuntarily. She then shook her hands to wear off the revulsion and approached Reaper who was standing there, holding the black box.  AS she reached near him, Reaper turned towards her and gave her the black box, much to her surprise.</p><p>“Here, decrypt the encryption protocol and get a copy of the information. Don’t leave any traces of information theft.”</p><p>Sombra took the black box offered by Reaper and immediately ran a scan on the grade of encryption protocols on the device. As her scan was complete, it revealed extremely secretive military grade encryption, which suggested to her that it might contain extremely valuable information, but she was sincerely confused as to why Reaper gave her to steal information from it. Without giving much thought to his gesture, she expressed her gratitude in her own sarcastic manner.</p><p>“Oh Gabe, such a nice gift.I wonder if I did something good today, boss.”</p><p> Reaper glared at Sombra with his fists closing tightly, but then he lowered his face releasing the grip on his fist, as he sighed a breath of disappointment towards Sombra’s behavior, walking away from her towards the arriving transport. Sombra was really surprised by this gesture, but today she was shocked by several things, so instead she focused on decrypting the black box and walked towards the transport as well.</p><p>As the transport descended on the roof, they saw Widowmaker holding her rifle, taking a quick nap. As they entered the plane, the other agent came out, cleaning his hands of blood with a piece of clothing and sat near reaper, when the hatch closed. As the transport moved away from the building, T05M3NT opened up a detonator and flipped the switch, as the entire structure was engulfed in a huge explosion, all the while the transport escaped from that area.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Widowmaker took a nap, resting her forehead on her rifle butt, before reaching their destination and getting another assignment. It has been several years where her life has been like this. Assigned to kill targets chosen by Talon and perfectly completing the assignment. It has been rare cases in her career when she failed to complete her objective. She had become proficient in her art of killing, to the point where she truly felt alive when her target drew their last breath. She blinked her eyes slowly and woke up, to find a small blanket wrapped over her. She took the blanket and folded it, when she saw Reaper sitting beside her, in a deep sleep. She knew who had done it, but she never turned down this gesture. The pilot then gave an announcement that they are descending towards their location, as the passengers woke up from their nap and prepared themselves for the arrival.</p><p> The transport landed and the hatch opened, when Widowmaker saw Doomfist’s secretary waiting for their arrival. The team exit the transport and approached her, who announced that she is here to take Reaper and his team to Doomfist to discuss regarding this operation. T05M3NT strolled away from them with a device in her hand as two soldiers were waiting near a hover car to take him to his destination. As he was entering the vehicle, he turned back and bowed at his fellow agents as Reaper bowed in response. As the car stated moving, he glanced towards Widowmaker, tilting his head, with eyes squinting and mouth grinning sidewise. Widowmaker felt the hair on her arms and back bristle, a chill running down her spine, as she quickly shifted her vision from that person and followed Reaper.</p><p>Sombra and Widowmaker followed the secretary to Doomfist’s office. As they opened the office, they saw Doomfist in formal attire, standing with his back towards them, watching towards the horizon from his open windows. As he heard his door open, he slowly turned back and removed his shades, wearing a malicious scowl on his lips as he greeted the attendees.</p><p>“Reaper, Lacroix, Sombra, well done on the task accomplished.”</p><p>Reaper crossed his arms and scowled at Doomfist, frowning his nose as he remarked. “Cut to the chase, Akande. Why were we assassinating a high ranking intelligence officer of NSA? If the US sends investigation towards their missing outpost, this could turn real ugly.”</p><p>Doomfist stood from his position calmly and leaned beside the table, as he gestured them to take a seat and instructed his secretary to give them some privacy. She complied and closed the door, leaving the office as the other attendees took a seat, Sombra taking an apple from the fruit stand and biting a piece of it.</p><p>“No need to worry, Reyes. The outpost will be handled by a Talon team. With this operation, we have a clear mole in the US intelligence. As to more nuanced details, well that’s still a secret. So have you heard about the reinstatement of your old team?”</p><p>Reaper made a disinterested face, eyes focusing inward, as he answered his query. “What of it, Akande?”</p><p>“Well, UN has given them full control regarding operations, to do whatever it takes to avert the impending crisis. Funny enough, they actually succeeded in Rio, even with a small team. I wonder what other surprise they will create.”</p><p>“Hmm, I feel miserable for them. Like they would succeed in their mission, what a pitiful excuse for an organization. But I still would be careful. Nip it in the bud, so to say.”</p><p>“My thoughts exactly, reaper. Anyway, your team is on hold for now. We will wait and see how they respond towards this situation. What will you be doing, Lacroix?”</p><p>Widowmaker, who was sitting with her legs crossed, resting her chin on the back of her palm, her hands resting on edge, readjusted her position and answered to the question.</p><p>“I have an emotional condition evaluation I have to attend. I should leave immediately.”</p><p>“Of course, you are all dismissed. Sombra, stay for a while. I have something to discuss with you.”</p><p>Sombra who was consuming the apple, stopped her eating, as she looked at Doomfist with eyes wide open and mouth closed, immediately gulping the portion of the apple and throwing the remaining in the dustbin. As Reaper and Widowmaker left the office, Sombra placed herself on the sofa.</p><p>“So, what’s the issue, Big Boss? Do you want me to undertake some secret mission?”</p><p>Doomfist went back to his chair and crossed his arms, placing his chin on the closed fists, as he glared at Sombra with squinty eyes and narrated his ordeal.</p><p>“I had an interesting conversation with a partner of ours.”</p><p>“Oh, con quien?”</p><p>“Sanjay Korpal, our friend from Vishkar.”</p><p>Sombra’s body stiffened for a while. She was confident she removed any traces of her involvement from that incident. Did they find anything connecting her to that incident or was Doomfist just guessing? Keeping a fake smile on her face, she replied sarcastically.</p><p>“Oh, what did they want?”</p><p>“Apparently one of their agents went rogue. They have claimed to put her down. But Sanjay Korpal was disappointed on losing such an asset. She was to be used as a proxy for Talon operations. Unfortunately she tried to steal their secrets and thus had to be put down.  I too was looking forward for her assignment to our forces.”</p><p>“Do we know the name of the agent?”</p><p>“Satya Vaswani. I suppose you won’t know anyone like that do you, Sombra?”</p><p>“Boss, I am concerned more about information on the heads of the hydra rather than their minions. I am not responsible to know about a minion, when I am hunting a bigger prey.”</p><p>“Hmm, you are dismissed for now.”</p><p>Sombra rose up from her position, and calmly walked away from the office. She was shuddering a little, her hands getting sweaty and her eyes blinking a bit fast, as she slowly started leaving the room. As she opened the door, she heard an ominous warning from Doomfist.</p><p>“Sombra, don’t try to bite more than you can chew.”</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Widowmaker strolled towards her evaluation room when she saw a few scientists carrying a young child on a bed, wires attached to his brain, with several apparatus attached to his body. The child seems to be devoid of life, as he kept his eyes wide open, not responding to any stimuli. As Widowmaker walked past the unusual group, the bed hit her feet, stopping her on her tracks. The scientist immediately apologized, as Widowmaker gestured to show she was okay.  But out of curiosity, she asked the scientists about the subject in question.</p><p>“Who is this child?”</p><p>“He is part of a classified experiment. That’s all we can say.”</p><p> With this reply, the scientists hurried away from the location. As they seemed to be moving away, Widowmaker felt a small hand holding her fingers. She glanced down to watch the lifeless child gazing at her, his hands holding hers tightly, tears emerging from those wide eyes as if with a plea of help. Widowmaker looked at the child with eyes wide open, as she pulled away her hand in shock. She stood still for some moments holding her hand with another, as she glanced at the kid being taken away, her body trembling to this unexpected incident.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Sombra departed for her hideout in Paris. She approached the warehouse near an abandoned metal factory. As she reached near the wall, she gestured a sliding motion of hands, as the walls glowed with a pattern and revealed a secret door towards her hideout. She walked inside what seemed to be an elevator and opened on interface on her fingertips, closing the secret wall as the elevator moved down. When the elevator finally stopped, she stepped out into a room filled with processors, servers and other computing equipment, with a large multi-screen display, showing the symbol of a purple skull.</p><p>She took a seat and opened up a beer from the refrigerator below the deck. As she proceeded to consume her beverage, she mumbled a secret phase and the screen lit up with information, the same information she stole from Vishkar with Satya’s help. She glared at the screen, with eyes squinted and lips spreading in a wide grin. As she moved her hands towards the screen and pulled a spherical interface of memory bank, she replied in an achieving manner.</p><p>“One more piece of the puzzle. One step closer to the truth. I am coming for you. Muy pronto.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A few edits to the chapter. Still requires improvement.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Satya waited in the training room. It was early in the day and she, being an early worm, was already waiting for her teammates to arrive. It was her first day of official duty. After her required training and team building exercises, she has been assigned the position of Security Officer of the watchpoint. According to discussion with Winston, she also was able to garner a place in the workshop, where she can continue on honing her crafting skills. The other engineers of the team also agreed, impressed by her abilities with hard light architecture. Satya attired herself in an Overwatch assigned jumpsuit, ideal for exercises. However she felt a bit iffy with the design, which seemed ‘unsightly’ in her eyes, so she secretly modified the suit using hard light threads. Since she hadn’t brought any dresses with her, she had been working on creating a more functional attire, designed for battlefield purposes. As she waited for other teammates to arrive, she heard a blink, glancing at the blue streak of light following the person.</p><p>“Hey Satya, had a good sleep.”</p><p>“Lena, of course.”</p><p>“I had been meaning to ask, but are your injuries completely healed? You were so engrossed in your work, I felt it would be impertinent of me to ask about your health.”</p><p>A slight smile appeared across her face, raising her lips at the corner of her mouth, as she heard the genuine concern in her speech and acknowledged her concerns.</p><p>“I am completely fine, Lena. My injuries are perfectly healed, thanks to Dr. Ziegler and the therapy sessions has really helped with preventing any muscular atrophy. Suffice to say, I am ready for duty.”</p><p>“Nice. Well, others are coming too. Let’s wait just for a bit, love.”</p><p>As they continued their conversation, they were joined by Angela and Genji who were walking alongside Zenyatta from one side while Pharah, Brigitte and McCree arrived from the other corner. Soon they were joined by Reinhardt and Torbjorn, with Bastion following him. As they all gathered in the room, they were joined by Sojourn, behind whom were Winston and Mei walking together, discussing something related to other eco points established by Overwatch. Lucio came in last, while playing his music on the integrated speakers of his skates, as Satya frowned her face and adjusted her headgear settings to drown out the noise. When all the members finally assembled, Sojourn took charge of the assembly.</p><p>“So, now that we have gathered, we have new members who were recruited to Overwatch. Some were retired agents like Torbjorn and McCree, some we knew previously like Pharah and some who joined us recently- Lucio, Symmetra, Zenyatta, Bastion, Efi and Orisa. So to all the returning and new members, welcome to Overwatch.”</p><p>The members clapped their hands and took their respective positions as Sojourn continued to speak.</p><p>“Yesterday, we received intel that Null sector units have been sighted near South Korea. As you guys know, South Korea has been haunted by repeated omnic attacks, especially from that Gwishin faction. We have received actionable intelligence that Null Sector is now co conspiring with this faction and they have received the algorithm of mobile factories to generate Gwishin troops. There might be a few days before the assault might start, so I want you guys to be prepared for deployment. So can the new members showcase their abilities so that we can proceed with their team building exercises?”</p><p>As Sojourn completed her report, she invited the members whose abilities were unknown i.e Pharah, Lucio, Orisa and Satya. Lucio was first, as he activated his sonic amplifier, with his skates coming to life with a green glow and a calm beat resonated in the air.</p><p>“So my abilities mostly rely on the sonic amplifier designed by my father. I can provide temporary healing and movement support to my teammates, and with my hard-light skates I can move between points of interest with sufficient speed.”</p><p>“Really mate, then we need to race once definitely.”</p><p>“Oh you are on, Lena.”</p><p>“So this technology, is it based on sonic displacement technology? This is quite impressive.”</p><p>“Really, coming from you Torbjorn, that is a compliment. I am sure my father and you would have a lot to discuss.”</p><p>“Okay Lucio, those are some impressive capabilities. Any form of medical support is a boost for our team. Our decision to put you on Reinhardt’s team is a sound one, it seems. Alright Pharah you are up next.”</p><p>Pharah moved to the stage as Lucio exited, clad completely in her Raptora suit while holding her rocket launcher.</p><p>“So my Raptora suit is capable of swift aerial maneuvering to deal with any ground presence with explosive rockets, both from my suit and rocket launcher and I have been trained extensively in Raptora’s flight maneuvers.” As Pharah ended her demonstration, Sojourn covered her mouth and giggled under it as she finally rose her face and exclaimed, while in laughter.</p><p>“Pharah, you still haven’t lost your obsession with explosives.”</p><p>“Well, you know me.”</p><p>As the room burst into a giggle with the witty reply, Angela was lost in a thought as she moved her index and middle fingers on her jaw, thinking something as a question struck her mind.</p><p>“Wait Pharah. You haven’t told us. What happens if the suit gets destroyed?”</p><p>Pharah looked at Angela with wide open eyes, as she replied to her query. “Don’t give me nightmares, Angela. Helix is not going to send another replacement if this suit gets destroyed.”</p><p>“Mein Fehler.”</p><p>“Don’t worry Pharah, we can build another one with mine and Brigitte’s help.”</p><p>“Thank you for the offer, Torbjorn. I just hope it doesn’t come to that.”</p><p>“Well even if the suit is destroyed, I am sure with high caliber rifle and explosives, you can still be a badass.”</p><p>“That is really kind of you, Genji.”</p><p>“Arigatou.”</p><p>“Just be careful, Pharah. We are not playing with toy guns anymore.”</p><p>“Good, I am much better at the real ones.”</p><p>“That’s the spirit.”</p><p>“So that’s I have to offer for now.”</p><p>“Pharah, your capabilities will be a perfect for our vanguard operations, along with Genji, Tracer, McCree and Reinhardt. Hell you can be our air support in serious situations.”</p><p>Pharah gave a chuckle to Sojourn’s assessment as she left the stage to allow Efi and Orisa to take the stage.</p><p>“Hey everyone. Efi here. So Orisa here has been outfitted with multiple technologies which distinguishes her from normal OR15 units. I gave her a personality matrix personally designed by me. She can provide ample support and defend civilians with all the tools available to her. I crafted her from the OR15 units destroyed by Doom Fist when he retrieved his arm.”</p><p>Hearing the incident, both Lena and Winston wrapped their forehead with their palm, sighing with a heavy breath. Everyone was amazed by the deep breaths of disappointment, as Lucio asked everyone’s doubt.</p><p>“What happened to you, Winston?”</p><p>“Winston, I told you that day we should have brought the gauntlet with us.”</p><p>“Lena, common now. The city council wanted it for the museum.”</p><p>“And they did a shite job of keeping it. At least with you here, Doom fist would have thought twice, as he got his ass kicked last time.”</p><p>“Ahh right, I completely forgot Doom Fist is scared of Winston. I think what Lena is saying is quite true, Winston.”</p><p>“Common. Genji, you too.”</p><p>“Sunimasei.”</p><p>Mei listened keenly to what Efi was explaining as she asked her question. “So tell us Efi. What can Orisa do?”</p><p>Listening to the question, Efi asked Orisa to showcase her various abilities and explained each of them to the audience in front. The members keenly observed the demonstration, as they seemed impressed with Orisa’s capabilities. As Efi completed her presentation, Winston took a chance and asked the question that was perhaps on everyone’s mind.</p><p>“Efi, many of the tech you have outfitted Orisa with, most of them aren’t available on market. How were you able to gather them?”</p><p>“Heh, I had to spend the Adawe grant money I was awarded with.”</p><p>Orisa started glancing around when her eyes fell on the cowboy, holding a cigar in his prosthetic arm. She immediately got a suspicious ping and scanned her database, as she got a possible hit. Accepting the information, she informed Efi.</p><p>“Efi, I detect an outlaw here who has a bounty of 60 million dollars. Maybe capturing him and getting that bounty can cover your grant.”</p><p>“Hey, come on now.”</p><p>Everyone was surprised upon hearing McCree’s response to the ambiguous statement made by Orisa and stared upon him. Seeing this awkward moment, McCree threw the cigar and crossed his arms, placing his forehead on his arm while breathing a sigh of disappointment. His worry was disturbed when Angela stated something funny.</p><p>“Wait, Jesse, you have a bounty of 60 million. That much amount can help us refurbish this base. Let’s capture him and get that bounty.”</p><p>“Come on Doc.”</p><p>The whole room erupted into a laughter as Efi and Orisa moved to their place, Orisa blinking and waving her hand at McCree who responded with a tap on his hat. As the laughter died down, Satya finally moved to the stage as everyone shifted their attention.</p><p>“There is not much to say. A demonstration of my capabilities would be a better option.”</p><p>Satya then brought her hands closer, creating a small hard-light structure between them as she explained her capabilities.</p><p>“I can create turrets in battlefield to protect an area and deny enemies from invading. These are the same turrets that I have installed on the base but are more geared towards rapid deployment.”</p><p>She then brought her hands closer as everyone observed the structure forming between her closed fingers, as she created a structure on the floor and everyone felt a barrier covering them.</p><p>“I can create shield generator to provide shields to our allies and project moving barriers to block any incoming threat.” Satya waved her prosthetic hand as a wide curved shield emerged out of it. Everyone was getting intrigued with Satya’s abilities when she played her final card, which surprised everyone.</p><p>“I can create teleporters for short range as well as long range distances, which can be utilized to move civilians and allies to safer zones.”</p><p>The whole crowd were really dumbstruck for a moment when Torbjorn finally queries his doubts.</p><p>“So wait you can teleport anything through these teleporters.”</p><p>“That is correct, yes.”</p><p> “So can anyone use the teleporter or it follows some algorithm?”</p><p>“It has an IFF system to allow the people only I approve to pass through. Objects are a different story.”</p><p>“Hmm, that is extremely useful. But would you use any weapons?”</p><p>“I can use my photon cannon for short range beam or long range bust attacks, which can be set to stun or kill, based on necessity, but I prefer not to use lethal means. I have field experience sure, but I haven’t fought on a battlefield. So it would be preferable if I worked as support.”</p><p>“But Satya, your capabilities are perfectly aligned to front lines. You would be quite a valuable asset both on front lines and support.”</p><p>“Thank you Angela.”</p><p>“So is there any other secret we should know about?”</p><p>“Well I can create anything that will be required, as long as I know the schematic of the entire structure or I can picture it clearly.”</p><p>“Wait so you can create a Raptora suit if you know the schematics?”</p><p>“That’s true, Miss Fareeha. However the weapon systems will be based more on a photon cannon then the rocket launcher you are using, unfortunately. Also larger structures will consume a lot of power so I have to careful on that regard as well.”</p><p>“Symmetra, I have seen your potential in terms of providing support and reconnaissance. You will be valuable on the field for any role provided. But if you don’t wish for frontline deployment, you surely can provide support with evacuation and survey of enemy lines. But you may have to use your weapon, Sym if time comes.”</p><p>“Thank you Sojourn.”</p><p>“All right, now that everyone has got an idea of our new members, I must say I am impressed with your abilities guys.”</p><p>“We are impressed too.”</p><p>“Thank you Tracer. So, we can work on team building for these two days, before we are deployed to Busan for defending South Korea.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So this is the first part of a eight part segment of this story. This chapter is a bit boring with all the dialogues and exposition.<br/>But the next chapter will bring more interesting story arcs, so stay tuned.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Night has set in Gibraltar, as everyone was resting in their quarters. After the meeting ended, the training and team building exercises went on for more than six hours, as the members of each team worked with each other to complement their abilities and combined their skills to work better on field. Each of the new members were performing quite admirably as the older members were quite impressed with their dedication and commitment, as they harmonized and complemented their team members quite well. When the training finally ended, everyone was tired so they went to their respective quarters. While Torbjorn and Brigitte went to workshop to complete their projects, Mei and Winston went to their respective labs and Angela went to the medical lab. As everyone retreated back to the quarters, the whole watchpoint went silent, unaware of the incident that will soon befall them.</p><p>At a hill about half a kilometer to the north, two hooded figures were laying, as one of the spotted and investigated the watchpoint. A masked sniper looked through the scope of the rifle, scanning for any changes in the place. The duo waited and observed for some time, then decided to proceed with their objective, as they activated a voice modulator and discussed something.</p><p>“It’s imperative for us to infiltrate without raising any alarms. She contacted us a few days ago about some new intel. It’s time we meet her.”</p><p>“Yes, but we have to mindful of the residents. No need to cause any unnecessary incidents. We get in, get the intel from the contact and leave before we alert anyone.”</p><p>“I hope it would be that easy.”</p><p>The duo then moved through the dark of night, as they seemed quite familiar with this type of reconnaissance and infiltration missions. But from experience, it seemed they knew some shortcuts into the watchpoint, as they thought to bypass the main corridors and infiltrate the facility through a secret gateway. They reached near the watchpoint as the sniper looked through the scope to scrutinize for any irregularities. Observing none, they decided to move in.</p><p>The moment they set foot on the ground, the alarm system went off, as the entire base was on alert. The duo immediately started running towards the entrance when they were shot with directed beams. They immediately dodged the beams and took cover behind some walls as one of them activated the visor to check the source of attacks. In the infrared vision they saw some small turrets scanning the area. The duo immediately rolled and shot at the turrets before they can be activated. As the turrets were destroyed, the duo immediately dashed towards the intended location as one of them finally remarked.</p><p>“Security has vastly improved since last I was here.”</p><p>“No kidding.”</p><p>“Do we know someone with these type of capabilities?”</p><p>“Nope must be someone new.”</p><p> As they frantically discussed and sprinted towards the destination, they found themselves unable to move from the spot, as if paralyzed. The sniper glanced at the mate, who seemed to be stuck with blue light engulfing them, as they saw walls from all sides converging on them. They struggled to move, but the struggle intensified whatever was slowing them, as the box finally enclosed them. Giving up, they saw forward to be stared by the sleeping members, who had just woken up from a tiring sleep.</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>As the alarm went off, Pharah fell of the bed. She panicked for some time, as she grabbed her pistol and immediately came out of her room, wearing her pajamas. As she went through the corridors, she met Tracer, Genji and McCree running towards the location of disturbance. With the pistol ion her hand, she joined them and they scuttled towards the location. When they reached the destination, Symmetra was waiting along with Sojourn with their weapons pointed at the captured targets, as they immediately readied their weapons on the intruders. A few minutes later, the whole team was at the location, alerted to the intruders, except for Angela, as Sojourn finally moved forward and declared her intention</p><p>“You have been captured intruders. Yield now or face punishment. Now identify yourself.”</p><p>The duo caught in the stasis field were unable to answer to their demands. As everyone readied their weapons to fire at the intruders, Angela barged in.</p><p>“Verdammt. Guys, guys put down the weapons. Please put down before something happens.”</p><p>Everyone  was surprised by Angela’s statement. Most seemed perplexed with what Angela said and some seemed irritated, when Genji asked Angela what was happening.</p><p>“Angela, you know these intruders.”</p><p>“Yes Genji. We all know them. Just put down the weapons and then we can talk.”</p><p>Everyone still in suspense of her announcement, slowly started lowering their weapons, when Pharah mentioned something.</p><p>“Wait, Shrike and Soldier76. What are they doing here?”</p><p>“Fareeha, you know them.”</p><p>“No Torbjorn. Helix has info on these two. They have bounty on their heads for sabotage and infiltration of several secured government facilities. I thought you disappeared after the Hakim incident? Why are you here?”</p><p>“It’s because I invited them, Pharah.”</p><p>Everyone was still shocked with the occurrence happening in front of them. Why would Angela invite two infamous outlaws to their base? And why is she claiming that everyone knows them? As these questions consumed their minds, Angela ordered Athena to release the stasis field, to which she complied.</p><p>“Common, stop screwing around and put off your masks.”</p><p> The duo intruders were freed from the stasis field as they complied with Angela’s request. They proceeded to remove their masks. When they finally revealed their face, an eerie silence spread through the watchpoint.</p><p>The revelation of their faces stunned all the older members. Everyone’s eyes widened and their mouths were left open with shock and disbelief. Pharah suddenly froze in her tracks, her limbs trembling and sweat drops appearing on her forehead, as she dropped the pistol she was holding, her knees growing weak and dropped down on her knees, unable to comprehend what just happened. Reinhardt stood still, his palms open and sweating, his heart feeling heavy, as he could feel an abject sense of hope and dejection building in him. Sojourn, McCree, Winston, Torbjorn, Genji and Tracer were left dumbfounded, not able to believe the ghosts standing in flesh in front of them. They pinched themselves to wake up from this nightmare, only to realize that everything was real. The persons, standing in front of them were real. The persons from their past, whom they believed to be dead, were standing in flesh. Seeing the stunned expressions, the ghosts dropped their masks, as Reinhardt finally broke the silence.</p><p>“Ana, Commander, you…………are…..alive.”</p><p>The two people finally glanced into Reinhardt’s eyes, as a strange pain clutched their heart, their body screaming in pain, knowing the response will leave a wound that will never heal.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Mei and the newer members of Overwatch sat inside a different room, away from the disaster happening in the other room. They didn’t understand at first what happened, but after Mei brought them and explained the situation, they decided to leave them alone, so they can deal with this unexpected situation.</p><p>The room was filled with an eerie tension, as the older veterans of Overwatch sat around, while the two unexpected guests stood in the middle, with their masks off, eyes slumped down. Sojourn and other members glared at them with squinted eyes, their arms wrapped around them, as they pondered over what to say in this current situation. Angela sat with her face on her palm, hands resting on her knees as she blinked her eyes slowly, considering the mess. Pharah wrapped her face around both her palms, hands resting on the knees as she shook her legs to get rid of the unease in her guts, the odd sensation within her head. Lena stood aside with her arms crossed around her waist, as she glanced at them with squinted eyes and a frowned face, as her legs quivered. As the unusual silence followed, it was broken when Torbjorn asked them the question on everyone minds.</p><p>“So, Jack and Ana, can you tell us the reason as to why you didn’t inform that you were alive? Was it a necessity for some mission we wouldn’t have understood or were we not acquainted enough to know about this?”</p><p> Ana and Jack looked at each other as they tried to murmur and grumble, gathering the pieces of the answer in their mind. They clenched their hands as Jack finally glanced at the audience standing in front of them.</p><p>“There is no grand reason. My death allowed me freedom to operate.”</p><p>“Operate, you mean breaking into secured facilities, maiming individuals and searching for something that we shouldn’t know.”</p><p>“That’s not what I meant, Winston.”</p><p>“But you did do those things. All the reports of a masked soldier with a jacket, they weren’t just hearsay.”</p><p>Sojourn who wrapped her arms, finally removed them as she clenched her fists, while drawing a deep breath as she implored.</p><p>“So you two fake your death and disappear for years, without informing any of us. Is it some bravado you guys were pulling? I can’t believe we mourned your deaths and we didn’t find your body? Were we that useless Captain? Or we will just get in your way.”</p><p>“Sojourn, I…”</p><p>“Don’t Captain. No amount of reasoning will explain the shit you pulled.”</p><p>McCree, realizing Sojourn’s frustration finally rose from her position and put his prosthetic arm on Sojourn, calming her. Sojourn, holding his hand, rested on a chair, taking deep long breaths, trying to curb her anger. As she settled down, McCree looked at them with lifeless eyes as he proposed another question.</p><p>“So we met two ghosts today. Are there any other ghosts of past that we should know about? Too much surprise is bad for our heart.”</p><p> Ana looked at McCree’s face, as right corner of his lips twirled upward, eyes frowning and fists clenched, as she tried to answer his query.</p><p>“You know about Reaper, Jesse.”</p><p>The name raised everyone’s eyes, as everyone except Angela looked at them. Jesse took this chance and replied to Ana’s query.</p><p>“Yeah, a Talon agent. We recently learnt Doom Fist offered him a seat in the inner council.”</p><p>“And he attacked this watchpoint trying to steal information about Overwatch agents.”</p><p>“Well his true identity is Gabriel Reyes.”</p><p>The news hit like a train as everyone displaced from their position, their fists clenched and their body trembled in shock. Lena instinctively put her palm on her mouth, gasping as Jesse stopped in his tracks, dumb founded by what he heard. Trying to rein his emotions in, Jesse got a word out about his previous boss.</p><p>“Wait, are you saying that Reyes betrayed Overwatch? Betrayed us.”</p><p>“I suspect so, yes. His body has been severely disfigured, thanks to Moira’s experiments.”</p><p>“Wait, what did that witch do to her?”</p><p>“I don’t exactly know, but apparently his present condition is due to her experiments.”</p><p>Every startling revelation shook them to the core. Jesse, who was constraining his emotions, suddenly felt the floor slide from his legs, as his knees got weak and he collapsed on his legs. Each information rattled the audience, except for Angela, who had lived through those moments already. Sojourn went to Jesse and tried to calm him, as she strengthened her resolve to ask one last question.</p><p>“Is there any other grand revelation you want to unleash?”</p><p>Jack and Ana stared at each other for some time, taking the time to compose themselves for one last piece of information they knew. As they took a deep breath, they gave one last piece of information.</p><p>“You people know about Widowmaker?”</p><p>Lena who was silent until then, clenching in her emotions with these sudden revelations, finally shifted her attention. She clenched her teeth, pressing her eyes shut as she tried to open her voice, tears flowing down her eyes.</p><p>“Yes, I know her. I ............... failed to protect Mondatta against her attack. What about her?”</p><p>“She is Amelie Lacroix, Gerard’s wife.”</p><p>The final piece of news finally broke Jesse’s calm demeanor as he stood from his position, trying to ask the reason behind this. But Genji placed his hand on his shoulder, as he shook his head. Jesse understood the gesture, as he clenched his fists and pressed his eyes shut, frowning his lips, as Genji implied from their statement.</p><p>“So what the story behind her?”</p><p>“We don’t know Genji. Whether she went to Talon and killed Gerard out of her own will or she was brainwashed, the evidence is inconclusive. All we know that Gerard’s wife killed him and defected to Talon. She was the one who, apparently, killed me, in a sniper battle.”</p><p>“Honki ka yo. Kuso.”</p><p>The disclosure shook the one person still less unfazed by all this information. Pharah felt the anger rising within her, knowing the person who took her mom from her and her dad. Biting her teeth hard, she turned her face away to hide the pain visible on her frowning face, trying to hold back the scream rising through her lungs. Ana identified the agonizing looks on their face, as she felt guilty of telling them the truth. Jack closed his eyes and bowed down, as he sensed the melancholy they created for their previous comrades. The rest of the night was spent in distress, as everyone tried to cope with the revelation presented before them.   </p>
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<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sojourn was sitting on a chair of the control room, as she asked Athena to access the required intel for the two visitors, currently standing in the room. The entire night was spent sleepless and thus most went to sleep after the situation simmered down, with melancholy and disappointment in their hearts. Ana and Jack stood near Sojourn’s chair, with their arms crossed, scrutinizing through the incoming data with intensity, trying to find the clues they were unaware of. Jack looked around the watchpoint, which seemed much better for a derelict station, as his eyes wavered in distress. The memories of past clouded his mind, as he shook his head, trying to restrain those memories. After a while, Athena opened up the required files and Sojourn downloaded the info and sent them to the two visitors standing behind, as she turned around to face them.</p><p>“So, this is the intel we received from one of our newest agents, who escaped Vishkar.”</p><p>“Do you trust this information?”</p><p>“Commander, or should I say former commander, I am sure you are paranoid, but someone escaping with information with severe life threatening injuries usually means the information is valuable. Trust me, in all our years of the war with Talon, we have never gathered this much information.”</p><p>“No need to be sarcastic.”</p><p>“Well I need to, otherwise being angry overloads my system. So I use sarcasm as a coping mechanism to all these anger I am feeling from yesterday.”</p><p>“I….. am sorry, Sojourn.” Jack bowed his face out of guilt, as he curled his lips and closed his eyes for a while.</p><p>“Though I understand the reasoning behind it, ……………. doesn’t make it any less painful. You are no better Captain. You kept everyone in dark. You could have told us to extract you.”</p><p>Ana took a glance at Sojourn, then turned away, as she closed her eyes, holding the tears, while clenching her teeth. She took a deep breath and replied to Sojourn.</p><p>“It was complicated.”</p><p>“Oh yeah, well tell that to Fareeha. Poor girl, coming in terms with your mother’s death, only to see her alive. I can’t even imagine what she must be going through.”</p><p>Ana turned her body firmly placing her palm on the table beside, as she closed her eyes welling up in tears, thinking about the greatest lie she ever told. Her heart ached of the pain she felt all these years, unable to face her only daughter, letting her live with the agony of her death. Jack and Sojourn glanced at each other, understanding the emotions Ana was going through as Jack finally proceeded and placed his hand on her shoulder. She raised her shoulder, wiping the tears of her face and faced Sojourn with baggy eye, as she focused her mind to the task at hand.</p><p>“So, any particular locations we can look into.”</p><p>“There are several actually. Don’t know whether you know the situation in Korea, but we would remain busy these for a few days. Meanwhile you can infiltrate the facilities, find out whether the information we received is legit. It will however shift Talon’s focus on you, so be careful.”</p><p>“We will. Thank you Sojourn.”</p><p>Sojourn shook her head and rose from her seat as Ana and Jack picked their rifles from the table. She then accompanied the two visitors outside, No one was awake yet, as previous night’s incident took an emotional toll. They walked through the empty corridors and reached the entrance. Sojourn asked them to wait for a while, as she went inside the garage. Ana and Jack waited for her, wrapping their arms around them, hoping to not meet anyone, when they saw Reinhardt coming towards them.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>It had been a sleepless night for Reinhardt. After seeing his brother-in-arms alive, he should have felt joy. Instead he was left with conflicting sorrow. Not having a wink of sleep that day, he decided to take a walk outside to clear his mind and focus on the task ahead. They had a mission to Korea the next day. Distraction was not an option. He wore his workout dress and decided to take a run. As the cool sea breeze of morning hit his face, he felt a sense of calm engulfing his body.</p><p>It was after about two laps of jogging that he came across the previous visitors leaving the facility. He watched them waiting for someone so he decided to ask the thought lingering in his mind. At first he hesitated, clenching his hands and stopping in his tracks. Slowly he gathered his conflicted emotions and trudged towards them.</p><p>Ana and Jack saw Reinhardt approaching them. They prepared themselves for the supposed disappointment and relaxed themselves for the incoming barrage of questions. As Reinhardt reached them, Ana’s face softened a little, looking at his eyes while Jack stood stiff, leaning away from the approaching knight.</p><p>“Commander, Captain, you are leaving.”</p><p>The statement took them by a bit of surprise. They faced Reinhardt and adjusted themselves before explaining to him.</p><p>“We were. And call me Jack, Reinhardt. I am no longer your commander.”</p><p>Reinhardt glanced at Jack, his body relaxing, as he continued his conversation. “Have you looked at yourselves in the mirror lately, Commander?”</p><p>Jack was surprised at the question. He didn’t understand the intent behind Reinhardt’s query, so he replied such.</p><p>“I don’t understand.”</p><p>“Your eyes, they no longer possess the same warmth and grace. All I see is that hint of rage and vengeance. What happened?”</p><p>Jack took a deep breath, closing his eyes, as his body ached in pain. He calmed himself of the rage visible in his eyes and answered his friend.</p><p>“Reinhardt, our enemies, they took everything from us. They destroyed our home, our family, everything. But when the dust settled, the world blamed us for everything. So I will find those bastards, and I will make them pay for what they have done. I am no longer the man you knew me, old friend. Just an old man, on a war path.”</p><p>“Then take our help. We too will help in finding those who wronged us. Don’t fight this war alone, Jack.”</p><p>“I appreciate the offer, Reinhardt. But you have another war on your hands. We will try to handle this one.”</p><p>“Okay. Just don’t burn yourself.”</p><p>Jack understood his comrade’s warning. But deep down he knew, he has gone too far. He was just an old, broken man, burning himself in his flames of revenge, until he punished those that destroyed him and his life.  Accepting his friend’s heartfelt request, he went ahead, leaving Ana with him.</p><p>Reinhardt gazed at Ana for some time, after which he couldn’t control his emotion, as he embraced Ana. Ana could feel the warmth in his embrace and the pain in his heart, as she returned the gesture.</p><p>“Ana, we thought you were dead. Why didn’t you tell us?”</p><p>Ana left Reinhardt’s embrace, who fell down on his knees, as Ana held him by his arms, before answering him.</p><p>“I am sorry, Reinhardt. After everything that happened, I couldn’t bring myself to let someone know about my survival. The world knew Ana Amari died, and it helped me get to those who wronged us easier. I suppose me and Jack are on this path together, until we complete our vengeance.”</p><p>“What about all the others? What about Pharah?”</p><p>“I…….”</p><p>“I don’t know how to deal with this, Reinhardt. All I have ever known is war. Being a hero, I don’t have any other passion in my life. And I have been a bad mother to her. I didn’t want her to follow my footsteps and I actively impeded her ambition. After all this, I don’t know whether she will ever forgive me. And I have to understand that I have to live with being a failure as a mother. Reinhardt, will you fulfill one request of mine?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Please take care of my habibti. You have always been a hero to her. Perhaps you would be better mentor to her than me.”</p><p>Reinhardt looked at Ana and stood up from his kneeling position. He took his fist and place his on his chest and took a vow.</p><p>“As a knight, I vow to take care of Pharah, until you are ready to sort things out with her.”</p><p>Ana’s lips curled into a smile, as she placed her palm on Reinhardt’s fist placed on his chest. “I will hold you to that, chivalrous crusader.”</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Angela glanced through the window, as she saw Ana and jack leave in a hovercar provided from their hangar. She placed her hand on her forehead, rubbing it as her eyes frowned, when she bent down on the bench. She somewhat expected the meeting to go like that, but reality is much more nuanced. She could see their horrified looks and it haunted her. But it was Pharah’s expression that pained her the most. The day they carried out Ana’s funeral, Pharah was the person who was hurt the most. As a soldier, trained to hide emotions, she held back her tears as much as she can, but when she saw her father cry, she couldn’t hold herself back. Living with this reality, she fell and learned to move on from this tragedy. But the truth she learned today, perhaps shocked her the most. Accepting the tragedy of her mother’s death and learning to move forward, only to learn all of it was in vain, must have come as a traumatic experience. Angela blamed herself for this, as she saw Pharah’s agonizing look last night. As she pondered over the last night’s events, Genji entered the room with a tray containing two cups of coffee.</p><p>“Angela, ohayogozaimasu.”</p><p>Angela turned around and found Genji approaching her with a tray containing two cups of coffee. A warm fuzziness spread over her face, as the gloom on her face disappeared. The corner of her lips spread wide as her eyes softened, staring at the tousled hair of Genji, who had removed his mask. She laid against the table, waiting for her lover to reach her.</p><p>Genji reached and place the tray on the table Angela was leaning against. He took one of the coffee and gave it to Angela, as she opened the cover and took the aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans. It was just the way she liked and Genji always achieved the perfect balance that suited her tastes. Angela looked at Genji as he took his cup and have a little conversation.</p><p>“You seem a bit stressed, Angela. Is it about yesterday’s night?”</p><p>“You guessed right.”</p><p>“It surely came as a surprise to all of us.”</p><p>“I felt the same when they visited me in Cairo that day in my quarters.”</p><p>“You never mentioned in your letters.”</p><p>“It was a shocking moment for me Genji. It was like reliving my nightmares from the past. They could never give up on being soldiers, on being heroes. Now they walk along a path filled with revenge.”</p><p>“It surely seemed so. Those eyes that Commander Morrison had, they resembled mine, as if an unending thirst for revenge drove his life. The news about Reyes was quite painful to hear as well. I still can’t believe he would betray us.”</p><p>“I didn’t want to relive these memories again. When I heard them for the first time, I felt disgusted. This betrayal, this revenge that they are pursuing. I don’t know where it will finally lead them.”</p><p>Genji sighed with disappointment, slurping on the coffee as Angela proceeded to do the same. As they kept drinking the coffee, Angela slowly curled and laid her head on Genji’s shoulder. Genji took his left arm and placed it on Angela’s hair, rubbing it, as Angela took long breaths, matching with the rubbing pattern. As they stayed like that for some time, Angela implied something to Genji which was on her mind the whole night.</p><p>“I am worried about Pharah, Genji. She seemed so agonized yesterday. I didn’t want her to feel so distressed about this matter, but it was inevitable. She mourned her mother’s death for so long, accepted the tragedy and coped with it, only to realize she was alive all this time.”</p><p>“Yeah, I am worried too.”</p><p>As they moped about Pharah’s feelings of the incident, another person came to the room, sweating profusely from intense workout. It was Pharah, who came inside for a warm water as she saw the two people standing in front of her, staring at her intensely.</p><p>“Angela, Genji. Good Morning.”</p><p> The duo too returned the greeting. As Pharah rested for a bit, she took a bottle of water and strolled towards them, leaning beside them as she drank water from the bottle. She then took a deep breath and glanced towards the pair standing beside her.</p><p>“Why are you staring at me so intensely?”</p><p>“Pharah, are you okay?”</p><p>“Of course. I just had a jogging competition with Brigitte and I won. I am completely fine.”</p><p>“Listen about yesterday……”</p><p>“Angela, I understand what you are trying to say. But my mom died six years ago. I accepted that reality. Yesterday was just a nightmare, a nightmare I can’t wake up from, where I saw a phantom from my past. If I start thinking about it, I will repeat the same mistakes I did all those years ago. So I have decided to live with this nightmare and rather focus on things that matter to me. You don’t need to apologize for anything, Angela.”</p><p>Explaining this, Pharah went back to consuming the water, as Genji and Angela stood dumb founded, trying to contemplate what just happened.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter 26</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The afternoon that day, the workshop of Gibraltar seemed busy, teeming with the members preparing for their deployment to Busan. Each of the fighters were inspecting their equipment, checking whether their weapons and armor required any improvements. Some were modifying their equipment while others stacked up on the ammunition to be carried on the field. Lena and Winston checked their weapons, with Winston slightly tinkering with the chronal accelerator. Mei installed some more upgrades to her already impressive endothermic blaster, while she modified and tinkered with her weather modification drone. Beside her, another cryo bomb, like the one used in Paris, was placed. Genji filled on his stock of shurikens and loaded them in his throwing arm, while McCree did a maintenance on his Peacekeeper, cleaning the barrels and loading chambers to prevent them from jamming. Genji then drew both his wakizashi and katana, sharpening them on a whetstone he personally preferred and then hit them softly with a powder ball, wiping the weapons clean with a clean cloth and checking the balance of his katana. Angela was running diagnostics on her newly designed Valkyrie suit, which saw combat in Rio and performed quite admirably. She examined the actual healing and boosting tech in the suit as well as caduceus staff, which seemed to be at optimum. After a while she finally took her caduceus blaster and aimed it at the targeting booths, checking for any irregularities, as it had not seen much use lately. She found her sidearm working fine.</p><p> Pharah carried two ammunition boxes containing ammo for her rocket launcher and shoulder mounted weapons towards her Raptora suit, which was encased in an automatic loading chamber, undergoing final diagnostics on the propulsion systems and the weapon launching mechanisms. As she finally reached the chamber, she went behind and shoved the ammunition box in the given slots, where the chamber would load the ammo in her shoulder mounted launchers and the inbuilt ammo pockets. She approached the table nearby, where her rocket launcher was placed and started the loading the mini rockets in its loading chamber. She picked up the weapon and aimed down sight, checking for any irregularities in sight and reloading mechanism. Beside her Brigitte was inspecting the Inspire system installed by her in her power armor, examining its armor providing capabilities. After tinkering with it for a while, she opened an interface and started installation of upgrades in her suit. She rose from her place, allowing the installation to continue and checked her rocket flail and shield. Taking a screwdriver, she tightened some of the screws that were loose in her shield and assessed the chain releasing mechanism, as she pushed the release button, which ejected the flail with sufficient force that scared Pharah standing beside her, as both shared a hearty laugh after the silly incident.</p><p>Torbjorn was working on Reinhardt’s armor, as Reinhardt fiddled with his hammer. Being a long time user, he knew every single system available in his hammer, so he kept adjusting the propulsion system to give a more powerful boost while slamming it on the ground. The projectile system was damaged last time in Rio, but since then Torbjorn has modified it, allowing for more powerful flaming projectiles with minimal damage to the systems. Reinhardt kept examining the hammer, as he held it tight in his arms, a reminder of his duty.</p><p>“Reinhardt, I have optimized the systems. The propulsion system in the back has been repaired. I have installed the newer shield prototype I was working on as well. Check the shield, tell me how it feels.”</p><p>Reinhardt kept this hammer on the table and left his seat, holding the new shield that Torbjorn handed it over. He then activated the shield and the huge shield lit up in a brighter bluish hue than before. Reinhardt could sense the stronger shields imbued in this prototype but surprisingly had a very less draw. He recognized the improvements Torbjorn implemented and a tinge of elation and satisfaction filled his mind.</p><p>“This feels perfect. Thank you, old friend.”</p><p>“Well your work is done. Now leave me alone and let me work on my turrets and armor packs. If we are fighting a war, I better get prepared for it. Bastion, go with Reinhardt and train with him.”</p><p>“Boop boop…… boop.”</p><p>As Reinhardt and Bastion were preparing to leave, they saw a person standing alongside them, unbeknownst to Torbjorn. Torbjorn continued working on his turret, when he heard a strange comment in a lady’s voice.</p><p>“I am impressed. I didn’t think these crude creations will actually function.”</p><p>Torbjorn turned around to see Satya standing beside Reinhardt, kneeling down and scrutinizing his work. In response, he replied unknowingly to her statement, until a realization hit him.</p><p>“Why thank you. I must admit I am surpris……….. Hey.”</p><p>“Hmm, what now?”</p><p>Reinhardt immediately put a hand on his mouth, trying to hold back his laugh. Then he finally gave up and started laughing, hitting his fists above his knees while bowing down. Satya was shocked for a while with Reinhardt’s laugh and then turned towards Torbjorn, who was holding his forehead in disappointment.</p><p>“Everyone’s a critic.”</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Satya after her conversation with Torbjorn, went to a small part of workshop assigned to her. She looked at the equipment she currently possessed and assessed her situation. Not that she needed too many equipment, because every ability of hers were based on the prosthetic arm and her own mind, thus allowing her the flexibility to create anything required of the situation. She held the photon projector and scrutinized it for any fluctuations. Finding it in optimum condition, she finally placed the weapon down and thought about the most important part, what to wear to the battlefield.</p><p> Satya knew she was an espionage agent, trained to infiltrate and sabotage. Although she has enough combat experience, but it usually dealt with small group of guards and sometimes special agents recruited by rival companies. But a full scale battlefield is not something she expected she would participate in. Her request to stay in backline with Mercy and Zenyatta was surely approved, but inevitably the fight will come along their direction as well. She didn’t bring any dress with her to Overwatch, and she can’t wear casual dress to a warzone. Not a fan of bulky armor, she decided to design a battledress that will fit to her aesthetic. As she pondered over various design choices, Zenyatta walked near her and scrutinized the work Satya was doing.</p><p>“Hmm, working on some designs, Vaswani.”</p><p>Satya, who seemed to be in a trance, lost in thoughts about the probable designs, glanced sideways to see Zenyatta hovering beside her. Adjusting herself, she replied to his query.</p><p>“Hmm. Yes Zenyatta. I am a bit confused.”</p><p>“Oh, how so?”</p><p>“Well I haven’t actually been an active participant in a warzone.  While working for Vishkar, in clandestine missions that I undertook, I usually preferred clothes that allowed freedom of movement.”</p><p>“How did you defend your body at those times?”</p><p>“Well Vishkar’s forces focus more on shielding and barrier tech made out of hard light for defense purposes. I personally won’t prefer heavy bulkier armor.”</p><p>“Hmm, well I mostly prefer my shielding tech to defend my body, but I am constructed of metallic parts so it can defend my soul in emergency. Hmm… I understand your problem.”</p><p>“I want armor, which will be aesthetically pleasing to me without being bulky, but enough to provide ample protection. And I certainly want a different schematic than that of Vishkar’s.”</p><p>“They really betrayed you, didn’t they? Satya.”</p><p>“More like I was too naive to believe in their ideologies and convince myself of their hypocrisy.”</p><p>“It is not your fault, my friend. Even when you felt things weren’t to your convenience, you still made an effort to acclimate to your surroundings. Believe me, in the last few months that you haven’t visited Suravasa, Sarpanch Grewal was asking about you. Even the village people, especially those children. They didn’t care for Vishkar. They cared for you. I think Overwatch too has accepted you into their family.”</p><p>Hearing the reminiscence of that village, Satya’s eyes softened for a bit, as her lips curled into a little smile, the end of lips raised a little as she dropped her arms in relaxation, elated to Zenyatta’s response. After a while of scrutiny, Zenyatta finally implored.</p><p>“Alright Satya, let me help you on this.”</p><p>“You sure, don’t you have other preparations to make.”</p><p>“I am a simple monk, Satya. Besides I prepared my equipment early in the morning.”</p><p>Satya and Zenyatta composed themselves, trying to create a design applicable for this situation. As they were getting ready to start, Brigitte and Pharah came up behind them and greeted them, which they turned around to reciprocate.</p><p>“So Satya, I overheard you talking about battledress design. It kind of piqued my interest.”</p><p>Satya and Zenyatta glanced at each other, considering what Brigitte said. Considering her ability to design and fabricate tech, they decided to accept her help.</p><p>“You want to help me to design my battle dress.”</p><p>“If you would like.”</p><p>“Hmm, your engineering capabilities are impressive. You might provide helpful insight. Come join us.”</p><p>“Okay. And Pharah here has been in active warzones, being a soldier. She might provide some insight  into your design as well.”</p><p>“Hey, I am a soldier, not an engineer.”</p><p>“But I heard you were a demolition and tech expert. Surely you would have worked in tech. Besides you have experience in battling omnics before. Common Pharah.”</p><p>“Fine. I will help, if Miss Vaswani wishes.”</p><p>“Of course. And call me Satya, if you don’t mind calling me Fareeha.”</p><p>“No problem.”</p><p>The four people started working on this small project. Brigitte first asked what kind of system Satya wants to design. Satya explained her requirements to both of them, putting the required contraints in her design. Pharah and Brigitte listened to her conditions when a question sparked in Pharah’s mind.</p><p>“Wait Satya, how did you protect yourself against enemy fire during your espionage missions?”</p><p>“Hmm, oh using the shield generated continuously by arm. It can provide me ample protection against small firearms, but sustained firing will destroy it, leaving me vulnerable on battlefield.”</p><p>“Okay, hmm first I would suggest something to protect your torso. No matter the battlefield, they are the most exposed areas for an enemy to attack, apart from your head. Do you carry any ammunition with you?”</p><p>“No, my photon projector is fed with photon energy from my arm itself. In fact this arm of mine is my primary equipment.”</p><p>“Well that resolves the problem of carrying ammunitions to field, because that usually creates a problem for most soldiers. Now you have to have a small pockets. Since you will be on battlefield, any medical supplies will be necessary. So you need some, in case of emergency.”</p><p>“Hmm, I can embed a self-generating shield generator within my suit, to prioritize protecting my vital organs. Okay torso armor, small pockets to hold supplies, small scale shield generator, hmm. What else?”</p><p>Brigitte reviewed the current design and observed some flaws. She displaced from her usual position as she added some more insight.</p><p>“What about protection for your legs? They remain a vulnerable target. They can be equipped with armor as well.”</p><p>“That seems plausible but wouldn’t it be cumbersome for me to move.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I have a minimalistic design in mind.”</p><p>Brigitte approached the 3d interface on which Satya was designing the armor and using a digital marker, added some leg armor, which was compact and protected the thighs, knee and legs. Satya though kept giving parameters as Brigitte refined the design to suit Satya’s tastes. After a while, the design was almost complete, when Satya realized she hasn’t introduced the most important aspect, her headgear.</p><p>“Hmm, which design should I choose for my headgear?”</p><p>“Do you have tons of headgear, Satya?”</p><p>“Not tons, but a significant amount. They help me filter any optical or audible disturbances and are a necessary part of my uniform. But I have so many designs, I wonder which would be field appropriate.”</p><p>“How about the one you wore in Suravasa?”</p><p>“Really, that was a pretty simple design.”</p><p>“True, but sometimes there is beauty in simplicity.”</p><p>“Hmm, that is quite considerate, Zenyatta. Okay now that all design is done, what color schematic would be best to choose? I don’t want the usual Vishkar color scheme. But what scheme would be applicable in my line of duty?”</p><p>“I suppose only you can answer that, Satya. Whatever you choose, it will be a sight to behold.”</p><p>Satya listened to those calm soothing appreciation presented by Zenyatta. The corner of her lips raised slightly, as an inspiration emerged and she was confident that choice.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    </p><p>The next morning the hangar was busy as everyone boarded the two Aurora crafts that were bought with the funds provided by UN. Sojourn was standing outside overlooking the soldiers who were boarding the craft. The two primary pilots would be Lena and Echo with Pharah acting as copilot for Echo and McCree for Lena. As everyone was boarding the ship, Satya emerged into the hangar.</p><p>Everyone who were boarding stopped for a while, staring at their new combatant. Satya was confused to this reaction, thinking what could have caused such silence. Then suddenly Lean dashed towards Satya, looking at her excitedly.</p><p>“Wicked. We have same color scheme. And you have an Overwatch logo on your breast plate.”</p><p>“Yes it seemed plausible, since I will be working here. Is it bothersome?”</p><p>Sojourn went near Satya and placed her hand on her shoulder. She remarked on the simplistic yet incredible design of the armor but more on the logo embedded on her chest.</p><p>“No. It is a sign that you are now an official part of Overwatch, Agent Symmetra.”</p><p>“Thank you, Captain.”</p><p>“Now, join your comrades, agent. We have a country to save.”</p><p>“Roger that.”</p><p>Satya boarded the plane being piloted by Lena and McCree, which composed of Genji, Angela, Orisa, Zenyatta and Winston. She found a seat near Zenyatta to be empty, so she decide to sit near her friend. Zenyatta scrutinized her and finally mentioned something.</p><p>“A very wise choice, Satya.”  </p><p>Satya bowed her head and received this appreciation with a gladdened heart. The plane soon took off as an announcement came over the radio.</p><p>“This is it, people. This is the moment we were preparing. The people of Korea are in great danger, so we have to put our lives on line. This is what we were brought to do. So let’s knock it off the park, shall we?”</p><p>Satya listened to the announcement but felt a bit clueless about one thing, so she whispered to the person sitting closest to her, who understood her dilemma better than most.</p><p>“Zenyatta, are we going to a park?”</p><p>Zenyatta understood her question and approached her ears, whispering “Hmm, no. I don’t exactly understand the meaning. But it’s something along the lines of ‘doing our best’. It is a baseball reference. One of my pupils explained it to me.”</p><p>“Huh, well you learn something new every day.”</p><p>The plane exited Swiss airspace soon, departing for Korea.</p>
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<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Chapter 27</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So this is the first part of the Omnic invasion of Busan, Korea. The entire arc will last for few chapters so stay tuned.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The two aircrafts carrying the combatants entered Korean airspace in a couple of hours. Lena was checking the radar for signs of any anti air defenses. As a precaution, Winston has specially designed and installed shield generator on the carrier crafts to provide additional protection, as last time in Rio, their craft was heavily damaged. As they entered the Korean airspace, what awaited them was a horrifying sight.</p><p>Lena looked through the front windows and saw destroyed fighter jets floating in the water. There were several surface-to-air mobile units established on the sea surface, that were knocking down any aircrafts approaching their base. Activating the radar, she tagged all the artillery units on the surface that needed to be dealt with, when pilots of both the planes heard a familiar voice on their comms.</p><p>“Tracer, Echo have you reached the coastal area?”</p><p>“Yes Captain, though it seems the situation is horrifying, to say the least.”</p><p>“What about the naval defenses?”</p><p>“We are seeing some artillery fire being returned from both sides. But it seems like a one sided massacre. Looks like they are holding back their main troops in the mainland.”</p><p>“Alright, I am sending you the rendezvous points. The team that contacted us are currently waiting for you there.”</p><p>“So who are our contacts?”</p><p>“The MEKA squad. They are the ones holding the fort and waiting for you in their base. Contact me when you reach the base.”</p><p>“Roger that, Captain.”</p><p>“Tracer, look out.”</p><p>McCree’s warning came a bit late as Tracer detected a missile incoming towards them, locked on to its target. She immediately steered right to avoid a direct explosion and released flares to self-destruct it. The missile veered of its target towards the flares and exploded but the explosion was enough to knock the balance of the planes. The other craft faced the same issue as Echo maneuvered in an opposite direction, doing a complete flip while releasing flares, as anti-aircraft measures were initiated by the enemy forces. The Gwishin troops were sending smaller units towards them after they evaded the first strikes and were firing towards their crafts. Both the pilots maneuvered away from the attacking units as they activated the weapons on the ship and instructed their copilots to take control of the weapon systems and blow them out of the sky. McCree and Pharah agreed and commandeered the weapon systems firing at the units with installed rail guns on the shop. The passengers inside were hit with lot of turbulence pertaining to enemy fire, as they tried to hold on to their seats, with their seat belts holding them down. Satya felt heavily nauseous as it was her first time being in such a situation, her head feeling heavy with all the shaking and maneuvering of the planes. The headgear helped to nullify any loud sounds which was a relief to her, otherwise she might have panicked before even reaching the actual battlefield. The return fire by McCree and Pharah destroyed the incoming Gwishin squid troopers, but a couple of them, even after being damaged managed to move forward with a collision course with their aircrafts, slipping past their counterattack and hit their planes, exploding. The ship seemed to take heavy damage, as smoke appeared with flames near the attacked region, but the flames cleared to show a bluish shield glowing on the region of attack. Lena felt a sigh of relief, as her heart seemed to stop with the explosion and she turned to thank the person responsible.</p><p>“Winston, your upgrades are wicked. Saved the day.”</p><p>“Yeah, but you keep focus on driving the plane. We are not out of danger yet.”</p><p>“How much longer, Tracer?”</p><p>“What, Doc?”</p><p>“How much longer till we get there?”</p><p>“We are nearing the location. Buckle up.”</p><p>The passengers of other ship were also protected by the shielding tech installed by Winston as Echo turned and asked if they were doing okay. Brigitte looked up from her seat disoriented and acknowledged their condition. “We are okay here. Are we nearing our destination?”</p><p>“I can see the MEKA base. Hold on tight.” The two crafts went on the descent to their location as they asked for permission to the ground control waiting there to land. The ground control immediately sent confirmation for landing and the crafts began their descent when a loud explosion shuddered the passengers in the aircrafts.</p><p>“Damn it, we are hit with an EMP blast. Blimey, those suicide units left an EMP drone attached to the ship.”</p><p>“Tracer, are ship’s control oaky?”</p><p>“Nope. I have to land manually. Brace yourselves.”</p><p>The other craft’s passengers were hit hard as their craft spiraled hard towards the landing, when Pharah and Echo activated the manual controls and pulled the ship upward, preventing it from falling down. Pharah recognizing the situation, finally declared. “Damn it, we are going down.”</p><p>The crafts dashed towards the landing sites and the ground control evacuated the area. The crafts almost crash landed into the surface when both the pilots managed to pull their plane from apparent destruction, crashing and sliding across the surface, as they applied the brakes. The plane stopped just an inch away from collapsing on the wall. Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief as their crafts didn’t crash. Though most were veterans who didn’t suffer from any panic attacks, the story was different for Satya.</p><p>Satya started breathing deep breaths, placing her hands on her chest with open mouth, as if choking while her body shuddered. This was something way beyond her experience and routines, and the exhilarating danger disturbed her mind to the point she was panicking. Mercy immediately opened her seat belt and went towards Satya, opening her seatbelt and pulling the oxygen mask and placed it on her face. The choking and shuddering gradually stopped, as Satya started taking longer stable breaths, the uneven heaving of her chest gradually stabilizing. Still her hands were shivering and she brought them close, fiddling with her fingers, trying to concentrate her distraught mind. Zenyatta immediately transferred one of the orbs into Satya’a hands and wrapped them close. Satya slowly started rubbing the smooth surface and shifting the orb, as she finally calmed down.</p><p>“The orb of perception. Thank you, Zenyatta, Mercy.”</p><p>Mercy placed her hand on her shoulders and soothed and assured Satya that everything was okay. Satya shook her head and accepted the gesture, as she finally spoke. “I am okay. Let’s get down.”</p><p>“Are you sure you are okay, Symmetra?”</p><p>“Yes, Zenyatta. I am fine. Let’s exit from the ship now.”</p><p>The other members who had gathered around Satya due to her debacle, slowly started coming out of the plane as Mercy and Zenyatta led Satya outside. Taking the fresh air, Satya finally relaxed her body. The passengers from other craft exited their plane as the ground control finally arrived near them. Everyone decided to move into the base to discuss further strategies.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>The combatants prepared their equipment and entered the FOB. As they entered the headquarters, they saw several Korean soldiers, omnic and human, standing guard. In the center of the room was a central operations center, where a female officer was discussing strategies with fellow soldiers with a tactical interface showing real time events on the screen. The team could see the various battles occurring at various points across the coasts. They approached the officer as the fellow comrades signaled the officer of the arriving guests. The female officer immediately turned to see the requested combatants waiting for her. She immediately left her soldiers and approached Winston, as she tried to catch her breath and acknowledged their presence.</p><p>“Mr. Winston. Thank you for coming.”</p><p>“Captain Myung, I presume.”</p><p>“Correct. I heard explosions few minutes back. What happened?”</p><p>“Huh.. Our planes were stuck with an EMP blast.”</p><p>“From one of the suicide units, damn. Are you injured?”</p><p>“Our aircrafts sustained severe damage but other than that our combatants are primed up and ready to go. Can you tell us the situation here?”</p><p>“Of course, please come here.”</p><p>The captain escorted the team to the central operations as the other soldiers made way for them. SO as to prevent crowding, most of the team scattered around occupying various places while Tracer, Winston and Reinhardt approached the table. Satya proceeded towards the large window, where there was an open space. Taking a liberty, she created a hard light chair and occupied it. She crossed her legs and put her hands on the knees, while looking outside at the intense fighting going on. It was a bit difficult for her, as the sensory overload was a bit much at first, but then she slowly adjusted to it. But it wasn’t just the sensory overload. The noises, the destruction, it reminded her of the past, of the crisis that destroyed her home, bringing those painful memories to life. She closed her eyes and focused on a tune that helped her concentrate. After a while, Mei and Zenyatta approached her. Examining her situation, Mei decided to ask.</p><p>“Symmetra, are you doing okay?”</p><p>Satya turned around to see them standing near her. She weaved her hands and created two hard light chairs, inviting them to sit, which they accepted.</p><p>“I am presently doing fine. I was a bit disturbed when I first observed. The sensory overload was a bit too much. But now I have adjusted.”</p><p>“Okay, so where have you been assigned?”</p><p>“Hmm. Oh with Mercy and Zenyatta. We will make a medical camp and provide relief efforts to the injured. What about you?”</p><p>“I have been assigned in civilian rescue efforts. Lucio and Brigitte will be assisting in that regard.”</p><p>“The rest will be on frontlines.”</p><p>“For now. Hmm.”</p><p>“Is something the matter?”</p><p>“No, it’s just being on frontlines is a bit difficult for me.”</p><p>“But you performed quite admirably in Rio.”</p><p>“Maybe, but I felt so tired after that. I am a scientist and I also do fieldwork. It’s just a battlefield is a whole other world. The loss and destruction of life that we have to see, it affects our mind. Long term veterans face these difficulties as well. I am just a rookie like you.”</p><p>Zenyatta listened to Mei and as she ended speaking, he pondered for a while on her thoughts then offered a suggestion. “May I present a solution, Miss Zhao?”</p><p>“Of course, Master.”</p><p>“Whenever you feel troubled with these thoughts, have someone to confide in just like now. It helps alleviating the suffering we put ourselves through. In my wanderings, I have seen that the more we try to hide our suffering, the more it hollows us out. It is prudent we find someone to, pour our heart out.”</p><p>Mei smiled at Zenyatta’s suggestion, agreeing wholeheartedly to it message, as she confided. “Thank you Zenyatta.”</p><p>The team members that went to discuss plans with the captain finally left the central operations as Lena called everyone to assign their operations.</p><p>“So, the fight has been going on several fronts and it seems Gwishin forces have received some significant upgrades from the Null Sector. The Omnium in East China Sea didn’t have this much production capacity before, so we can presume the forces are being fabricated in separate units. I have linked Sojourn to captain, so she can keep an eye on things. For now, Reinhardt, Torbjorn and Bastion will go to the northern front to assist the armed forces. Genji, McCree and Winston will be heading towards eastern front. MEKA unit codenamed King, Overlord and Casino are currently combating the Gwishin forces trying to invade the city. I and Orisa will move towards the western front will assist MEKA unit codenamed D.Va and D.Mon.  Echo, Pharah you will be our eyes in the sky. Provide aerial support wherever you can. You are our most mobile units, so work is cut out for you. Lucio, Mei , Brigitte, you will be coordinating rescue efforts in the main city area. From the reports there are civilians trapped in the debris. So we need to be really quick in our efforts. Doc, Zenyatta and Symmetra, captain told me there is huge temple area at these coordinates. Setup our medical camp there and provide the necessary medication to the injured. Are there any questions?”</p><p>“So is Korean army sending reinforcements to the city?”</p><p>“Not for now, from their intentions it seems loosing this coastal area is a small price to prevent the Gwishin troops from invading the mainland. So they are holding back. That means no medical support is currently arriving. I am sorry, Doc.”</p><p>“Figures, I don’t know what I was expecting from the government. So we have to provide the medical emergency support by ourselves.”</p><p>“There are a few medical personnel on site. You can rendezvous with them.”</p><p>Mercy felt a bit relieved that there will be more helping hands as she predicted a lot of civilians will be hurt. Finding her query answered she waited for the operation to start. Lena did one final sweep of queries among the members.</p><p>“Not exactly a query, but I want to mention something.”</p><p>“Of course, Symmetra.”</p><p>“When you rescue a civilian, no need to traverse through the entire area to reach the medical camp. Just ping me your location and I can open up a teleporter to your location so you can send in the evacuated citizens. This will make our task faster.”</p><p>“Wait you can do that?”</p><p>“Of course. Also if any of our troops are injured and need medical assistance for themselves or their fellow mates, just ping me your location. I will open a teleporter and provide the necessary support.”</p><p>“That is mighty fine. Much obliged, Sym.”</p><p>“Thank you. For now I am opening up five teleporters to your respective locations. Please hop in.”</p><p>Symmetra moved away from her teammates as she started weaving her hands creating some type of structure. The soldiers there were a bit surprised with what Symmetra was doing when suddenly five gateway like structures emerged from Satya’s arms. The teleporters were primed and ready for transport and Satya instructed the teammates of their exact teleporter. Though skeptical at first, trusting their teammate’s judgment they stepped into the portal to start their operation.</p>
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<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Chapter 28</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The eastern front of the Busan coast was riddled with destroyed enemy units and fallen soldiers. The Korean army has set up kinetic barriers in dome fashion and soldiers were firing at the incoming bastion siege units from the omnic carriers. Behind them, automated tanks were being remotely controlled, which continued a sustained fire of mortar shells to deal with omnic carrier ships and destroyer units bombarding the kinetic barriers. Above them, two lone MEKA units were hovering and firing at the mobile squid like Gwishin units with target seeking explosive projectiles, while strafing and maneuvering to dodge the enemy fire from air and ocean. These two units handled the incoming flying Gwishin orbiters. One of the units spread its tentacles and immediately dashed towards one of the MEKA unit and attached itself. The MEKA unit strafed and spun its unit multiple time still its hold loosened and repeatedly fired its rotating tri cannon, blowing a hole in its chassis as it released itself and began to explode, as the MEKA unit escaped.</p><p> The other two MEKA units kept a consistent barrage of attacks against the hovering units, dodging their fire and firing micro rockets against them. The attempt to keep the skies clear was progressing aptly, when all the forces in the area heard an odd loud noise emerging from the sea. As they discussed what it could be while returning fire, their eyes saw something horrifying. An Obliterator rose from the sea, possessing Gwishin colors and six cannons, which placed itself behind the siege units and started charging its shell. The MEKA units identifying the danger quickly moved towards the ground to defend when they saw several Gwishin squid units arranging themselves in a line, preparing mortar fire to destroy the kinetic barrier in a synchronous barrage. Not having enough time, the three units formed a triangle and activated their defense matrix to intercept the incoming barrage, which broke through the kinetic barrier. They merged their matrices and formed a larger matrix, as the second barrage of missiles, which was going to bombard the coastal area, was instead neutralized. The squad in their position, kept a consistent barrage of their rockets destroying the formation, but it was too late. The arrangement succeeded in breaking through the barrier, which enable the Obliterator to charge its cannons and it fired three large caliber rockets, as the units were too panicked to move from their demise, and the MEKA squad were too late to move.</p><p>As the MEKA squad tried to approach to intercept the rockets with futility, they saw a bluish circular structure open behind thee troops, as a green streak of light dashed from it towards the fired rockets. The troops were terrified as the Rockets were almost about to hit, when an armored Cyborg wielding a wakizashi emerged in front of them and intercepted the first missile, parrying it using his wakizashi and deflecting it towards the enemy units. The cyborg after deflecting the first missile, dashed towards the second with a green streak of light following him and deflected the rocket towards the ocean. The third one approached the outpost containing bulk of their forces when the cyborg emerged in front of it and parried it perfectly, sending the rocket back at the obliterator unit, destroying two of its arms. At another side, few soldiers whose mag were just emptied, freaked out, falling on their back and trying to run, when they saw a man  with a prosthetic arm wearing a cowboy hat, roll towards the incoming Bastion and Squid units, and stood with his head lowered to the ground, his right hand on his revolver. In an instance, he drew and shot six bullets at the Bastion units, each hitting the units in their heads, completely blowing them off, as they shivered and finally exploded themselves. The man attracted the attention of the flying units as they hurled towards him, firing a barrage of rockets. The man rolled and dodged away from the enemy fire towards two straps of grenades lying near a fallen soldier. He picked them as the unit turned towards him, when they saw two straps of grenades hurled towards them. Trying to get away in time, the grenades were shot with bullets from ground, six to be exact, which exploded the grenades, destroying all the flying units. As the smoke from the explosion cleared, the panicked soldiers calmed themselves, as they glanced at the man with cowboy hat, who jerked his hand to eject the casings of his revolver bullets, as he reloaded six more bullets into his large caliber revolver. The man then turned towards them, plucking a cigar from his pouch and put it in his mouth, as he fired up a lighter at the fingertip of his prosthetic arm, lighting the cigar. He finally looked at the soldiers, as he tipped his hat, addressing them.</p><p>“Howdy, there. The name’s McCree.”</p><p>The cyborg drew the larger katana from their back, which radiated in an eerie green light as held it up close to his head, pointing forward, when he slashed at the enemy units from a distance. The sword released multiple crescent shaped green slashes, which ripped through several enemy Bastion troops and flying squid units, cleaving them in two. In a flash, before the Obliterator recovered from the damage, it saw the cyborg in front it in the air, hurtling towards him with the katana, radiating a bright green glow, held atop his head in a cleaving position, as he declared.</p><p>“Ryujin no ken wo kurae.”</p><p>A green dragon emerged from his left hand, as the cyborg cleaved through the Obliterator unit and dashed across the entire coast, slashing the stupefied enemy troops as the glowing dragon seemed to engulf everything in its path. After some time, the troops and the MEKA squad were dumb founded by the display of raw strength, as every single of the enemy troops were lying destroyed, with the green cyborg standing in the coast with his katana drawn. He turned towards the troops and approached them, as they relaxed themselves, staring at him with shock and awe, when the MEKA squad descended and approached the cyborg. Before they could ask him, the heat releasing mechanisms unlocked making a hissing sound as the cyborg finally addressed them.</p><p>“Yo, Genji is with you.”</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------     </p><p> McCree approached to the central area of the eastern front with the rescued soldiers while smoking his cigar as the rescued soldiers followed this unique looking cowboy, who just saved their lives out of curiosity. As they approached the area, they found each of the enemy units destroyed. Recognizing the cleaved manner in which they were destroyed, McCree recognized the one responsible for the carnage. He removed the cigar and smiled with his head down as he approached green cyborg ninja to congratulate him on his carnage.</p><p>“Genji, it seems you have grown more powerful last time I saw you. You made quite a short work of the enemy.”</p><p>“Your aim has not dulled too McCree. I saw the explosions from here.” Genji pointed both his index fingers towards him, commenting “That was pretty fancy shooting.” McCree tipped his hat for the compliment.</p><p>Then, three MEKA squad units, that were providing aerial transport, descended at their location. Three young males emerged from their cockpit and approached  Genji and McCree. They extended their hands towards them, as gratitude for providing the necessary backup. Genji and McCree returned the gesture and shook their hands, as they giddily sputtered.</p><p>“You.. you are our backup from Overwatch.”</p><p>“That’s right. I am Genji and he is McCree. We are here to provide backup.”  </p><p>"Are you a cyborg? You look like one of these cyborg ninja from old japanese animes."</p><p>“Yeah, I get that a lot.”</p><p>“I hear ya, pumpkin. Fun fact, he is an actual ninja, who is also a cyborg.”</p><p>The group busted in laughs, as Genji started scratching his neck, to his embarrassment. As they continued laughing, they were approached by a uniformed officer, presumably a General or something.</p><p>“I assume you are the backup Captain Myung promised.”</p><p>“That’s right, General…Kim. Sir.”</p><p>“No need for formalities. We just survived this situation thanks to you.  This is the first round of relief we have received since the war started two days back. We really owe you.”</p><p>“Happy to help, General. But they will be sending more troops.”</p><p>“I know, but we can setup our defenses with the rest we achieved just now.”</p><p>“Are there injured?”</p><p>“I am afraid there are. But it might be too late for them. The emergency camp is too far and we might not be able to transport them.”</p><p>The statement made everyone’s mood sour. The soldiers bowed their head and crouched their bodies, feeling tired. Seeing their dejection, McCree finally replied.</p><p>“Don’t worry General. Your soldiers will survive.”</p><p>“How?”</p><p>McCree immediately pressed the comm device on his ears as he called for that person. The call connected and McCree answered.</p><p>“Symmetra, there are injured soldiers at my location. Can you open up a teleporter at my location? Hmmm. Roger that.”</p><p>As the call ended, the troops were surprised when a blue colored disc opened up at their location, which seemed like a pathway. McCree then informed every one of the situation.</p><p> “General send your injured soldiers to the emergency camp setup by our medical team codenamed Mercy and Zenyatta. We are providing medical treatment to both omnic and human soldiers. Just transport them through this pathway.”</p><p>“Wait, what is this pathway?”</p><p>“It’s a teleporter.”</p><p>“A what?”</p><p>“I understand your confusion, General. But trust me, it will work. Send you injured troops for treatment immediately.”</p><p>The confused general scrutinized the blue disc near them, but putting trust in them, he finally replied. “Okay. If you say so.”</p><p>The soldiers immediately started carrying their injured comrades and walked throught the teleporter to reach the temple location where they found a large bluish structure constructed, which was not previously there. As the approached the camp. They were welcomed by a lady who was sitting on a chair, reading a book. As the soldiers approached her, the lady stood up and the chair disappeared, the soldiers standing dumb founded, as if watching a magic show.</p><p>“Greetings. Please approach the camp and place the injured troops there.” The soldiers followed the instruction and entered the camp.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Pharah was flying towards the eastern front, where Genji and McCree were deployed.  After discussion with Sojourn, it was decided that Echo and Pharah will move to two different fronts and provide aerial support. As she approached the area, she was surprised to see destroyed Gwishin units lying on the sea floor and the troops reinforcing and barricading the area. Descending to the location, she saw Genji and McCree standing near a uniformed officer and immediately descended there. McCree and Genji turned towards her and greeted her, asking her purpose.</p><p>“Pharah, nice to see you here.”</p><p>“Hello Genji, Sojourn assigned me here. What’s the situation?”</p><p>“We stopped the enemy troops stationed here. But we are preparing for more troops to arrive. Reinforcing our defenses.”</p><p>“Hmm. So how can I help?”</p><p>Pharah joined the discussion near the General’s table, introducing herself to the people present there. They discussed the proper strategy to demolish the enemy troops that will arrive and incorporated Overwatch backup in their strategy. The discussion went for a while, as they prepared for the next attack.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>The battle at western front was proceeding in a very similar. The Korean forces were holding back the incoming enemy squads, maintaining the kinetic barriers and firing a barrage of bullets and explosives to hinder enemy's progress. From the air, two MEKA squad units were maneuvering and strafing at the squid units attacking them. The enemy carrier ship were setting up Obliterator units to dismantle the kinetic barriers and proceed into the mainland. The battle was proceeding with a knife's edge, as both sides were taking heavy losses yet the enemy seemed to have an infinite army behind them. The two MEKA units kept the skies clear, yet it seemed they need a miracle to turn the situation around. As everyone was focusing on the enemy troops, a bluish disc suddenly appeared behind the troops, with a blue streak of dashing past the soldiers and through the barriers into the fray. The two MEKA units descended to see a modified OR14 and a Gorilla wearing armor and wielding a large cannon appear in front of them. The MEKA units went near them as they prepared their weapons, ready to fight the enemy behind the barriers.</p><p>"Are you our backup from Overwatch?"</p><p>"Of course, Captain Myung sent us to assist MEKA units D.va and D.mon. I am Winston and this is Orisa. Are you two the captain mentioned?" Winston adjusted his glasses and bowed his head in greeting, recognizing them. Orisa too waved her hands at the MEKA units with what seemed like a warm genuine smile, which they reponded to accordingly, waving their cannon arm. </p><p>"That's us alright. I am D.va and this is our captain D.mon. But I am surprised, a giant talking gorilla, just like from movies." D.mon nudged D.va with her arm cannon, gesturing her not to say anything rude to their backup. Realizing what she said, D.va immediately apologized for that introduction to which Winston politely replied.</p><p>"Yeah I get that a lot."</p><p>Beyond the barrier, Tracer was properly harassing the enemy units, both on land and ground with her continuous hit and run techniques. She fired at their heads with her twin pulse pistols, dashing and dodging the enemy fire while moving in a zig zag manner, sometimes blinking out of their fires. Her arrival broke the enemy's approach and disabled their attack pattern, allowing the soldiers to coordinate their attack on the enemy troops. Tracer fired and destroyed several of the enemy units, when the Obliterator units fired mortar shells, destroying the barrier. Tracer was frightened at this event, but the Gwishin squid units were circling and attacking her, as she tried to dodge and reached atop them. She held onto its chassis and fired her pulse pistols, damaging it and pushing it across the other units, as it exploded and returned to the ground to be attacked by more enemy fire. The Obliterator then fired more mortar shells at the enemy outpost with the barriers disabled, as it seemed the mortars has destroyed the army's outposts, as smoke and explosion accompanied the barrage.</p><p> Tracer's fears, however were removed when she saw a blue faint of light coming as the explosions cleared, as her face lit up with a side smile, expressing her joy "Wicked." The outposts were unharmed as the enemy mortar shells were intercepted and blocked by two shields each created by the Overwatch troops. Winston activated his shield projector across one outpost while Orisa activated her protective barrier across another, protecting the troops. The troops were surprised, as they surely expected this to be their curtain call, but the emergency barriers gave them a fighting chance. Taking the change in flow of battlefield. Tracer immediately dashed across the ocean to reach one the Obliterator units and placed a pulse bomb in its place of weak structural integrity as their research suggested after the Rio's attack, and immediately retreated. Before realizing what happened, the pulse bomb exploded destroying the obliterator unit. The two MEKA squads immediately flew to the air and combined their defense matrices, neutralizing enemy fire while locking on the incoming squid units and started firing a barrage of mini rockets, destroying the aerial units. </p><p>Keeping their barrier on the troops, Winston and Orisa immediately moved on to the troops. Winston dashed into the enemy frontline, destroying several of the units by punching pouncing on them. He rolled into the fray and activated his Tesla cannon, shocking the units in a chain reaction, which overloaded their systems and destroyed them. Orisa immediately fortified her body and started drawing enemy fire away from the troops. She activated her fusion driver cannon and started firing at the enemy bastion units, consistently maintaining a volley of cannon shells and demolishing the enemy troops. She then activated her secondary fire and fired multiple charged graviton orbs, which pulled several enemy troops towards itself, immobilizing them. Taking the chance, the troops immediately fired rocket launchers from their trenched outposts, easily destroying the immobilized troops. Orisa stayed as a anchor, drawing enemy fire, while Winston kept fighting in the fray of troops, using both his immense physical strength and the Tesla cannon to demolish the enemy troops and using his jump pack to immediately move between the enemy encampments. Tracer used her hit and run techniques, harassing and destroying the enemy troops. The Korean forces found their miracle and observed the situation shifting to their favor when their luck shifted, as they saw a unique looking omnic join the MEKA squad and fired blue beams of energy at the troops, which exploded and destroyed the troops. Her arrival caused the aerial units to shift their focus, as she led them towards herself and glided away, dodging their projectiles while firing her tri shot beams . Her supposed wings helped her pull complex aerial maneuvers, as she fired several sticky bombs at the units following her, the surrounding units unaware of the attack. Immediately after a delay the bombs exploded, disrupting enemy formation as she finally brought her hands together and fired a focused beam of blue energy, destroying and melting through the troops with ease.</p><p>As all the enemy troops lay dead, the Overwatch troops gathered together. Tracer blinked past the destroyed units and reached first. As Echo descended from the sky and Winston and Orisa approached them. Tracer clapped their hands in celebration and put her hand around Winston, as he smiled while adjusting his glasses. They congratulated each other on eliminating the enemy troops, as Tracer tapped Echo's back for her amazing performance against the troops, which she gestured with gratitude. The troops, observing that they won an impossible victory, felt relieved, as they celebrated this temporary rest before the next attack. Winston then approached the pilots of MEKA units, as they ejected from their cockpit and approached the Overwatch squad.</p><p>"Thank you. For turning this unwinnable situation in our favor."</p><p>"Just doing our job, Miss D.va. But I didn't get your name."</p><p>"Hana Song. And this is our captain Yuna Lee."</p><p>"Alright, Miss Song and Miss Lee. We should also congratulate you on holding the fort for so long. Common lets help your injured soldiers get treatment." Both D.va and D.mon were confused by the statement. They knew the emergency camp was too far away and forces can't be sent at this point to take the injured staff. Their faces grew melancholic, as they closed their eyes and pressed their lips, turning away their faces. Tracer approached them and placed her hand on both of their shoulders, as she tried to reassure them.</p><p>"Don't worry, D.va. We will make sure they will get proper treatment. Prepare the injured staff, we will arrange for their quick transportation." The two pilots looked up to Tracer's hopeful words, as they went to their armed forces and asked them to bring their injured staff. Initially they were surprised, but going through the miracle today, they believed their words and started lifting their injured human and omnic comrades for treatment of injuries. Meanwhile, Tracer called Symmetra to open up a teleporter at her location, warning of more injured troops coming along their way. Within minutes, a teleporter opened up near their location. Skeptical at first, the soldiers decided to go through the teleporter, only to arrive at the emergency camp being enclosed by a large bluish structure and lady welcoming other injured civilians into the large makeshift tent. They approached the lady, who invited them into the emergency camp for medical treatment.</p><p>After the departure of all injured staff, D.va and D.mon were finally relieved and invited the Overwatch troops to come with them to their commanding officer, where they would discuss further strategies while the remaining troops fortified their position for further engagement. </p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>The northern front of the armed resistance against the Gwishin forces was located a few clicks north of the command center. This front was heavily defended, being defensive of the main command center. The backline of the fortification were adorned with automated tanks and artillery that were unloading barrage of mortar shells on the incoming enemy forces. The kinetic shield was holding back their attacks but it seemed like it was failing. The armed forces maintained a constant fire from their barricades, while several of recovered injured soldiers were being given emergency treatments.  As the battle continued on, the soldiers found a blue disc appearing out of thin air, when one of the commanding officers reached near the disc, with his weapon drawn, when he saw a large armored individual coming out of the disc, alongside a short man with a cybernetic arm and a Bastion unit. In retaliation of seeing the bastion unit, the CO immediately drew his weapon upon the intruders.</p><p>“Stop right there, identify yourselves.”</p><p>The armored individual stopped in his tracks and glanced at the soldier pointing his rifle at him. He opened his helmet and addressed the guy in front of him, bearing no hostility, as he bowed down.</p><p>“Greetings, soldier. Captain Myung sent us to this location. We are from Overwatch, here to provide backup.”</p><p>The soldier stared at them with frowning eyes, while his hands shivered, shaking the weapon as he questioned the arrival. “Oh yeah, how do we trust you? You have a Bastion unit with you.”</p><p>“Beep beep boop.”</p><p>The bastion unit’s response shocked the guy, as he held is weapon tighter, getting ready to fire, when the dwarf gut finally answered his doubts.” The Bastion is with us. He is different from them. You have a battle going on at your backside. Your defenses are failing. Let us do our job. You are pointing your weapon at wrong side.”</p><p>The CO glared at them for a while and observed the Bastion’s behavior. After a while he lowered his rifle and warned the visitors. ”Fine, but I am keeping an eye on this omnic.”</p><p>As his statement ended, the kinetic barrier was destroyed. The soldiers in the encampments, immediately lowered their head and looked through the gaps, as they saw an explosive projectile heading towards their encampments. They tried to run away from the encampment and fumbled while running out. But it was too late, and the projectile hit their encampment.</p><p>Or so they thought.</p><p>When the dust cleared, the soldiers found themselves unharmed, when they glanced outside to see a giant armored person, holding a kinetic shield, who stopped the explosion from hitting the encampment. The bastion units progressed further, attacking the armored individual, when he held the shield and started his thruster, dashing towards them with his shield raised, as he crushed the units and broke through their ranks. He immediately closed his shield and slammed his hammer to the ground, shattering the earth below them, as many of the units were displaced and destroyed. He then swung his hammer in a wide arc multiple times, hitting the leftover enemy units. As he was busy destroying the units in his front, a Bastion unit transformed into a small tank and readied his rocket launcher, when he was hit by a barrage of armor piercing projectiles, staggering it as it was destroyed. The armored individual, turned back saw his companion Bastion, firing with his new weapons against the enemy forces.</p><p>“Thank you Bastion. I owe you one.”</p><p>The Bastion made beeping sounds, which sounded happy and shook his hands, as he approached and stood behind his back, attacking the units approaching them. The dwarf fired sabots at the Bastion units at its weak joints accurately, as if he has done this before countless times, before approaching and chiding his friend.</p><p>“Reinhardt, I told you not to be reckless. Why did you dash away from us?”</p><p>“That encampment was at risk. I did my duty of protecting them.”</p><p>“This so called duty of yours might kill you someday, old fool. I sometimes wonder if all that armor slows your brain down.”</p><p>"Ah, could you say that again? Sometimes it's hard to hear you all the way down there!"</p><p>Torbjorn then turned towards the Bastion unit, watching Reinhardt’s back, as he approached him, after setting up a turret.</p><p>“Bastion, are you okay?”</p><p>“Beep beep beep, boooop.”</p><p>“Alright, but if those visions arrive again, just calm yourselves and return to the outpost. I have made adjustments to your processing systems, so those glitches have been considerably reduced.”</p><p>“Beep bop.”</p><p>The trio maintained their ground, as Reinhardt, activated his shield and pointed at Bastion to follow him. Both of them maintained a pattern of movement as Reinhardt protected Bastion and Bastion laid down suppressive fire on the units, as they steamrolled through the frontal enemy units. Torbjorn set up turrets at key locations, moving behind them while firing his sabot gun, destroying the enemy bastions. The turrets locked on to the flying squids and started firing at them, dropping them out of sky and stopping their advance. Torbjorn observed the incoming enemy units and found something odd, but decided not to divulge it yet.</p><p>With their distraction, the Korean forces were able to fortify their positions, setting up the kinetic barrier and resumed mortar fire on the enemy transports equipped with artillery. The soldiers continued providing suppressing fire, watching their backs as they proceeded towards the main Obliterator units. Then out of nowhere, a huge swarm of squid troops emerged from the sea. The sky was filled with the swarm who maintained a formation and approached the coast. The soldiers and Torbjorn’s turrets maintained a consistent attack on the approaching swarm, but it seemed to not deviate from its course. The command post was horrified, as they finally calculated the approximate trajectory of the incoming swarm. They were trying to barge into the Busan’s mainland. Reinhardt and Bastion looked at the swarm approaching the city and adjusted themselves to stop their approach. However being too entrenched among the enemy troops, they had to focus on the suppressive fire being laid out by the enemy troops, when they heard Torbjorn addressing his concern on the unfolding situation.</p><p>“This is bad, real bad.”</p><p>“What happened Torbjorn?”</p><p>“This swarm. They are following a hive mind, whose aim is to enter the city. The main control unit, the one guiding these troops, is probably being protected by these troops and we can’t pinpoint the control unit. We need eyes in the sky and air support to deal with this.”</p><p>Reinhardt immediately dashed forward and deactivated his shield. He swung his hammer in a wide horizontal arc multiple times, devastating the enemy bastion units, as Bastion converted himself into a small tank, improved upon by Torbjorn, destroying the troops he was leaving out. After a while, he slammed his hammer into the ground, generating an earth shattering shockwave that displaced the units and destroyed them. They now wanted to focus on the obliterator units, but their concern was shifted towards the swarm and they had no air support to deal with them.</p><p>Then they saw multiple mini rockets approaching the swarm. The swarm instinctively moved to protect their formation but the projectiles hit in weaker areas of formation. The rockets destroyed the frontal portion of the swarm. At that instance, Torbjorn finally realized what has happened, as he stared at the glowing red light coming from the center of the swarm, when he saw a red mini rocket fired at the red light.</p><p>The rocket hit the red light and destroyed the central control unit, which started falling apart and dropped from the swarm and into the sea. In a moment, the entire swarm lost its formation as it searched for the one firing the projectiles, to find an azure colored armored flying unit, pointing her left hand, with a rocket release mechanism loading another rocket. The swarm immediately stormed towards the units as Reinhardt and Torbjorn finally realized that the air support they needed has finally arrived.</p><p>“Reinhardt, I think we just found our air support.”</p><p>“Yeah. That’s it Fareeha. Give them hell. Make them pay for it.”</p><p>A smile emerged across Pharah’s face, as she changed the mode from hovering to flying. She started her approach against the incoming swarm, gaining a considerable speed and fired her rocket launcher at them, further destroying the enemy troops and scattering them. She dodged the enemy fire, spinning herself and zigzagging from the barrage while laying down a suppressive fire. The swarm’s formation was completely destroyed and it shifted its focus towards the air support unit. When Pharah finally reached them, she immediately turned upward and started to go up, confusing the scattered squid units. They followed her as she flew up into the sky, increasing her speed and finally came to a stop, a considerable distance between her and the leftover units. She then activated her lock on mode, as she tagged every enemy units that followed her and finally activated her trump card, announcing her secret activation phrase.</p><p>“Justice rains from above.”</p><p>Pharah spread her hands and chest and in an instance, her shoulder mounted system opened up, as heat seeking missiles emerged from her shoulders and locked onto the incoming units. The missiles hit each of the units, destroying them. The rocket barrage continued for a while, as Pharah kept her position and turned her body in an arc, hitting each of the targets. The ground forces were dumb founded, looking at the explosions occurring, with someone widening their chest and hands and firing missiles from their shoulders, destroying the entire swarm, as the sky near them was filled with explosions. After the barrage finally ended, the command post saw the person hovering above close their mounted system and fly down towards the Overwatch troops, as they saved the city by destroying the swarm and preventing their assault.</p><p>Reinhardt finally reached the obliterator units. As Bastion and Torbjorn maintained constant fire across the units surrounding the obliterators, Reinhardt finally raised his hammer, which was glowing fiery red, as he swung it horizontally multiple times, as slashing projectiles emerged from the hammer, slashing through the limb cannons of the obliterators and destroying them. Pharah finally landed near them, as she approached amongst the destroyed enemy units and explosions that followed them at distance, as the trio finally turned back and looked at her.</p><p>“That was some pretty impressive maneuvers, Fareeha. You were like a wizard with that suit. Well done in taking care of that swarm.”</p><p>“Thanks Torbjorn. Looks like you took care of things here. Then I suppose I should go to the eastern front, McCree and Genji are the only support we sent there, and they might need more support.”</p><p>“Alright, Pharah. Take care now.”</p><p>Pharah then started her suit and lifted off, as she flew off to her destination. The forces were now cheering, as the entire northern front was teeming with shouts of initial victory. The commanding officer from previous encounter reached near them and bowed his head in gratitude, as Reinhardt laid his hand on his shoulders and asked if their injured soldiers needed help. The CO stayed silent, but Reinhardt understood his dilemma and called Symmetra to open up a teleporter at their location, advising the CO to send his injured troops for treatment in Overwatch’s established medical camp, as they prepared themselves to fortify their position for further confrontation.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I made some edits and combined both chapter 28 and 29 into one single chapter, to describe the first day fight for all the members.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Chapter 29</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mercy, Symmetra and Zenyatta steped through the teleporter intended for them, as they arrived at what seemed to be a sprawling temple complex, adorned with buildings with inspiration from Buddhist architectures. The temple complex, however was teeming with injured soldiers, citizens and medical professionals in a makeshift shelter and medical camp, a melancholy being exhibited in the air. As the trio approached the camp, one of the medical staff immediately approached them, who seemed to be the head of the operation. As he reached the visitors, he addressed them, with a weary voice.</p><p>“Dr. Angela Ziegler. Captain Myung informed you were arriving. I am Dr. Geun Jin-ho, the head of the medical staff. Unfortunately, as you can see, we have our hands full, so any support would be appreciated.”</p><p>Angela was surprised that the person knew her name. She acknowledged the welcome and asked a question. “I am surprised you know me, Dr. Jin-Ho.” The trio started walking alongside the doctor towards the makeshift camp, as Geun explained the reason.</p><p>“Of course. You and your work on biotic technology is quite popular among the medical professionals and scientists alike. We at our research have been trying to replicate your research, but there has been limited success.”</p><p>“Hmm. Well the situation here is pretty debilitating. Let’s hurry to the camp. Overwatch is willing to provide the necessary support for averting any problems.”</p><p>“Appreciate it, Dr. Ziegler.”</p><p>The trio finally reached the makeshift camp and were petrified with the scenery in front of them. There were mostly soldiers and civilians, injured in various forms. Many of the soldiers were missing limbs and were amputated. Most civilians had severe lacerations across their bodies, probably from debris from damaged buildings. Symmetra stared at the injured patients and her heart almost skipped a beat, as her skin shuddered at the vicious sight. On the other side, several omnic soldiers and civilians were suffering from limb damage and many had their entire torso and abdominal areas heavily damaged. The place was crowded with patients as more were brought into the temple complex.</p><p>Mercy immediately approached the patients and advised Zenyatta to follow her, as he complied with her request. She immediately setup her caduceus staff in the middle of the medical camp and activated it, as the entire camp was filled with bright yellow glow of biotic particles emerging from the staff. She then arranged a setup to supply as much biotic particles, whether as biotic capsules for injection or through drip and advised the medics on site to take use of the biotic setup she installed. She then wore her equipment for necessary fieldwork and asked Zenyatta to handle the omnic patients, as he was quite familiar with their operations, to which he complied. The medics on site were amazed and elated with the improvement and followed Mercy’s advice, as they attached their patients’ drip to the biotic setup, accelerating the healing procedures. A glimmer of hope emerged among them, as the medics focused on more patients now. Symmetra watched the entire scene unfold and observed the smile returning amongst the people, but she was still appalled by the makeshift conditions. So she decided to take steps.</p><p>Symmetra went outside and observed the entire complex. She then weaved her hands in a wavy patterns as strings of hard light emerged from the glowing reticle on her palm. She moved her body in particular dancing pattern, dancing in an enigmatic and mesmerizing manner to those present over there, when Mercy and Zenyatta glanced at what she was doing and their face lit up with a soft smile. As the dancing continued, the people there saw multicolored structures emerge around them, as a huge multi storied complex started growing around them. The medics were shocked at the incident, as they saw an entire complex grow out of thin air, with multiple rooms and beds being constructed out of the hard light that Symmetra fabricated with her fascinating movement patterns. The entire structure’s color palette matched with the temple’s scheme and it developed in an accelerated pattern, covering the entire open area and connecting various smaller structures emerging throughout the temple complex. Within a few minutes, the entire area was transformed into a well-designed city block, created to accommodate large population. Symmetra finally concluded her movement and glanced up, as her lips were raised upward in a gentle smile after watching her handiwork. Her heart throbbed with a sense of accomplishment and her hands trembled with odd satisfaction as she completed the entire temporary complex. She then walked towards her teammates, who were standing with a gladdened heart as she addressed them.</p><p>“Mercy, Zenyatta I have modified the complex to accommodate more citizens and soldiers.”</p><p>Mercy put her hand on her masked mouth, as a small giggled escaped from her mouth, as both Symmetra and Zenyatta stared at her intensely, unable to understand the reaction.  Then she realized the confusion of her two teammates and finally answered.</p><p>“This is amazing, Symmetra. You created a whole complex to accommodate everyone. Now I am sure of we can enhance our medical operations.  Thank you, Symmetra.”</p><p> Symmetra acknowledged her gratitude and decided to leave the doctors to work. She went outside and weaved a chair out of hard light, where she proceeded to sit. As soon as she sat, she received a call from Sojourn, as she activated her headgear to receive the call.</p><p>“Symmetra, are you there? Has Mercy and Zenyatta reached………..woah, woah?”</p><p>“Yes, Sojourn. Mercy and Zenyatta have started their medical procedures, what happened?”</p><p>Sojourn looked at the satellite image of that area to see previously unknown structures adorning the premises. She stated her astonishment of the familiar construction she has seen before, a few days ago in Gibraltar itself. “Where did that complex come from? From my information, there were just Buddhist temples in that area. Is this your handiwork, Symmetra?”</p><p>“Yes. Hmmm………. Is it inadequate, or unnecessary, in any way?”</p><p>“No, no. Amazing work. I am impressed. But now to more pressing matters. Symmetra, you have to provide reconnaissance to the rescue squad. They have reached the location, but they don’t have eyes in sky to get a better look at the population centers. Please assist them in any regard you can. Provide reconnaissance and help them get the injured civilians to safety. Your complex seems to be built to accommodate more civilians and soldiers, which is a good thing for us. Can you do this?”</p><p>“Of course. I am sending sentry drones to assist the rescue squad.” Symmetra again intertwined her hands, creating aerial sentry drones and released them to the persons of interest.</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>It was night time when the battle was over. The arrival of Overwatch reinforcements stalled the enemy omnic troops, who retreated after taking heavy losses and the battle turned in favor of Korean forces, giving them ample time to fortify their positions. The medical camp organized in the temple complex was able to handle more injured civilians and soldiers and the biotic system arranged by Mercy fastened the treatment process. Zenyatta’s help was extremely appreciated, as his expertise in dealing with omnic injuries were also effective, reducing stress on Mercy. Lucio, Mei and Brigitte were able to rescue almost all civilians trapped in debris, with Symmetra’s reconnaissance drones effectively pointing injured civilians’ positions. With the area secured, more troops had rolled in and support staff at the location increased, reducing the burden on Mercy and Zenyatta. After a long while, the Overwatch troops reassembled in the temple complex to discuss further plans.</p><p>As the discussion started, Tracer opened up a holographic communication device and placed it on the ground. As the device was activated, a holographic image of Sojourn appeared, as the meeting finally started, with Sojourn congratulating everyone.</p><p>“Great job, everyone. We have brought Korean forces effective time to bring in reinforcements and fortify their positions. With the arrival of more support staff and Mercy’s installation of the Biotic system, we can relive our support staff to active combat duty. Zenyatta, a huge appreciation for you. Without your assistance, treating the omnic civilians and soldiers would have been problematic, to say the least.”</p><p>Mercy shook her head in agreement, as she stated her opinion in that matter. “Absolutely. Thank you for treating the omnic patients. Most human medical professionals will overlook the major points about omnic treatments that you demonstrated them. For that, I am grateful.”</p><p>Zenyatta brought his palms closer and bowed his head while keeping them together, appreciating the kind gesture as he spoke. “The pleasure’s all mine.” As the report on first day ended, Sojourn rolled in new orders.</p><p>“So with the rescue and support operation complete, we can divert our remaining troops to the frontline. Mercy, Mei, you are being reassigned to the eastern front to support Genji, McCree and Pharah. Lucio and Zenyatta, you are being redirected to the western front to support Tracer, Echo, Orisa and Winston. Brigitte and Symmetra, you are being reassigned to Northern front to support Bastion, Reinhardt and Torbjorn. Three of the MEKA squad are being reassigned to the northern front, as they need air support. Two from eastern and one from western front. Support the troops as best you can. I suspect the fight ahead will be harder.”</p><p>“You aren’t wrong on that part.”</p><p>The conversation shifted the focus towards the one who made that statement, as everyone turned towards Torbjorn. Torbjorn, who was lost in his thoughts, shifting his fingers through his beard, slowly looked up to watch others staring at him, when Sojourn replied. “You want to add something, Torbjorn? Something you fell amiss.”</p><p>Torbjorn placed his hands on his hips, as he took a deep breath and explained something he observed.</p><p>  </p><p>“The Bastion troops we fought today. These are old Bastion units. Sure, their design is reminiscent of the bastion units we fought in King’s Row, but last time you people fought Null Sector in Rio, they have created completely separate ground forces, too much different from what you fought in King’s Row.”</p><p>As Torbjorn continued his analysis, Reinhardt intervened. “What does it mean, Torbjorn?”</p><p>“I am saying these were just remaining troops the East China Sea omnium had in case it launched an all-out offensive. But we saw some new troops, like those obliterator units, which suggests alliance with Null Sector forces. It is quite possible that they will be bringing their true reinforcements after today’s defeat. We have to be careful.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Chapter 30</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The skies were looking clear as Pharah and one of the MEKA squad units, Overlord flew through the skies near the eastern beach of Busan. Pharah initiated a scan to search for any incoming troops as Overlord went across her and gave his report.</p><p>“Agent Pharah. New intelligence from the other MEKA units.” Pharah stopped and started hovering, gazing at the MEKA unit and asked about the information he received.</p><p>“What is it, Overlord?”</p><p>“Report from other MEKA units suggest clear skies for now. They haven’t detected any intrusion yet.”</p><p>“Hmmm.” Pharah found herself lost in her thoughts, as she pondered over the fact that such silence in the skies at a time of full scale war was unnerving. Were the Gwishin units adopting different tactics to invade the city? Something came in her mind, as she decided to ask Overlord.</p><p>“Overlord, in your previous fights with Gwishin, had there ever been other points of entry to attack the mainland?”</p><p>“Not in any prior encounters, no. Why?”</p><p>Pharah returned to pondering and instructed Overlord to continue the patrol ahead, as she decided to call someone regarding her suspicions.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Symmetra was sitting on a hard light chair in the silent corner of the control room, away from the noise as a meeting went on between the commanding officers regarding the fortifications and attack plans for the upcoming fight. She created a fractal snowflake out of hard light and using movements of her hands, modified the snowflake into various shapes, which helped to shut out the external disturbances and aid in her focus on the task at hand. As the meeting finally ended, Symmetra still was lost in her thoughts as someone approached her.</p><p>“Sym, Lets go.”</p><p>Symmetra raised her head to see Brigitte standing at a comfortable distance from her. Realizing that the meeting has ended and their task had been assigned, Symmetra rose from her chair, which disappeared as she left the seat and prepared herself to move out with Brigitte. They started walking towards their meeting point when Symmetra decided to ask their objectives.</p><p>“Brigitte, what objectives did they assign to us?”</p><p>Brigitte answered the question in a confined approach. “Well, suffice to say they assigned us the vanguard duty. Expecting us to jump into a crazy barrel.” Symmetra looked at Brigitte with confused eyes, as Brigitte kept talking, when she noticed Symmetra stood behind and looked back to see her confused expression.</p><p>Trying to clear her confusion, Symmetra mentioned her doubt. “Why are we jumping into a barrel? Why is the barrel crazy?”</p><p>Brigitte understood her confusion then went towards her to clear her doubts. “No, it’s a Swedish idiom. They are probably expecting us to do something irrational, something different and help them win the war. Problem is we don’t know what we are dealing with. Previously Overwatch didn’t intervene much in the Gwishin problem. So they have less intel regarding this faction. We also don’t know whether Null Sector is interfering in this battle. So we are kind of in the dark.”</p><p>“Okay, that’s understandable. So what are we going to do?” Symmetra and Brigitte had reached near their team where Torbjorn and Reinhardt were waiting for them. After all their team assembled, they moved towards their assigned location.</p><p>The team reached their location, where the CO who threatened them before, was talking to Bastion, thanking him for protecting them. Bastion replied with a satisfied beep and gestured his hands for a handshake, to which he complied. The team reached near them as the CO was ready to get his orders. As new orders rolled in, the soldiers in the area started their preparations for their fortifications. <br/>Symmetra being unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable to entire military way of operations, fiddled with her fingers, as she went to the CO to ask if any requirements needed to be fulfilled.</p><p>“Hello, so can I provide any assistance here?”</p><p>The CO turned around to see an unfamiliar face but understood she was a member of Overwatch, so he replied to utmost courtesy, as a new found respect for Overwatch. “I don’t know if it’s possible, but we have lost all forms of remote surveillance in the area. We have only the MEKA squad units as eyes in the sky, but they haven’t arrived yet. We are sitting blind here. Is there any way you guys can help?”</p><p>“Hmm, I can help in that regard.” Symmetra answered with a satisfaction as she wove her hand, with strings of bluish hardlight emerging from her hands, taking a certain form, as the CO stared with a confusing tone. In a few seconds, flying drones with a spherical center, comprising of a visual sensor in the front and a small thruster in its back, with wings attached to it, were formed from those woven hands and bluish strings. Symmetra then motioned her hands and produced what seemed like a holographic interface and gave it to the CO.</p><p>“Take this interface. It will control these surveillance drones. Please use them carefully.”</p><p>The CO watched alternately between the interface and Symmetra in a baffling tone, which confused and irritated her, as she decided to ask him to stop.</p><p>“Is something the matter? Why are you staring at me like that?”</p><p>“No, no, are you sure it works? Surveillance systems cost a lot, it can’t be that easy to be created with whatever you were doing.”</p><p>“Yes it can. Just pass this to your relevant teams. They will know what to do with it.” The CO could feel irritation in her words and quickly realized his insensitive remark, as Symmetra walked away from that position. He immediately called for his recon teams, who arrived within a few minutes to see several drones, hovering near them. They asked the CO where did they received these functional drones, when the CO just handed them the interface and instructed them to do their job, leaving for his post.</p><p>As Symmetra reached near her team, she saw Torbjorn, who seemed to watch her intensely, to which she asked if he needed anything from her. Torbjorn, who actually was just lost in his thoughts, answered her.</p><p>“This hardlight technology, it’s amazing. The way you created those drones within such a short time, it is quite impressive.”</p><p>“Oh, thank you. So, can I help with any task we have been assigned?”</p><p>“Of course. Now I have seen you work, I have a plan, which I am convinced, will require your expertise.”</p><p>“You weren’t convinced before with the security system I installed in Gibraltar?”</p><p>“Hmm, oh that. I didn’t notice that much. I was in my workshop.”</p><p>Symmetra sighed with a disappointment, confirming her stance of people being difficult to understand sometimes, but still followed him to the place where help was required.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Brigitte repaired the auto turrets installed in the vicinity that were previously damaged, while Reinhardt helped the soldiers fortify their positions. She then investigated the damaged kinetic shields and after a bit of work was able to repair them as well, as the field technicians thanked her for her swift work. After a while, she and Reinhardt reassembled, when they saw three MEKA units descending at their location. Brigitte gazed at the descending MEKA units as they touched the ground and emerged from their cockpits, approaching them, when she was surprised at one of the pilots, as the other two asked what she was doing here.</p><p>“D.va, I thought D.mon was assigned here?”</p><p>“Why, is there a problem with me being here?” D.va wrapped her arms around and stared at them with dissatisfied intent. The other two smiled uncomfortably, retreating from their statements, as they reasoned with their friend.</p><p>“Just don’t proceed alone and injure yourself this time. We are worried you will do something risky, as always.”</p><p>D.va turned her face with a huff when she looked at Brigitte, who was staring at her with her mouth open and her eyes widened in surprise and anticipation, when she gestured her hand and greeted her. “Hello.”</p><p>Brigitte moved forward and shook her hand nervously as she tried to compose herself, appearing professional, when she finally spoke. “You are D.va, right. The pro Starcraft player. I am huge fan. Sorry for my amazement.”</p><p>D.va released her hand after shaking it with Brigitte, as she responded to the genuine statement with a smile. Brigitte, while in glee, forgot to introduce herself and then fumbled a little before introducing herself. “I am Brigitte Lindholm, by the way.”</p><p>“Hana Song.”</p><p>  As they proceeded to converse for some time, Torbjorn and Symmetra finally arrived at their location, after accomplishing their tasks. As they approached the location, Reinhardt moved towards them and asked if their fortifications were complete.</p><p>“Torbjorn, how are the fortifications coming along?”</p><p>“They have been completed perfectly. Symmetra here was extremely professional and effective with her operations. We have set up both my turrets and her sentry turrets all around the forward base. She created effective hardlight fortifications and shielding around major choke points. We were also able to construct that cannon I was talking about.”</p><p>“Wait Papa, really. I thought we didn’t have materials for constructing it..Oh I see. Huh.” Brigitte placed her hand on her forehead, sighing a breath of disappointment as she realized what has happened and tried to apologize.” Sym, Sorry for anything rash my father said. I hope he didn’t bother you too much.”</p><p>“Hey!” Torbjorn exclaimed with surprise as Symmetra presented her opinion with a smile.</p><p>“Other than being grumpy and saying statements I was unable to understand, he was quite professional. I mean, why would cat walk around hot porridge? Why would we buy a pig in a bag? Doesn’t make sense.”</p><p>Brigitte and Reinhardt had a hearty laugh as Symmetra spoke, confusing her more, as Brigitte explained the meaning. Symmetra finally felt comfortable, learning their meaning, when Torbjorn got a call from someone on his comms, and he proceeded to answer that.</p><p>“Fareeha, something to discuss.”</p><p>“Hey, Torbjorn, remember that tale you told me about one of your battles in Omnic crisis. The one where the enemy forces negated the entire resistance by drilling through the underground and pulled a surprise attack.”</p><p>“Yes, what about……….”</p><p>The sudden realization of that story hit Torbjorn’s mind, as he immediately went down and touched the ground and everyone around him were surprised, when he announced.</p><p>“Do we have any sort of seismic sensors around here?”</p><p>“Torbjorn, what happened?”</p><p>“Reinhardt, we were careless.”</p><p>At that moment, everyone felt the vibrations from the ground, as they felt something burrowing through the ground and reaching their surface. In an instance, the ground burst open and a seismic shockwave emerged with the hole as everyone was thrown back and the entire force allocated there were disoriented. Symmetra tried to restore her balance when she saw the drill that emerged between them, opening up and revealing a device, which started a beeping sound and exploded.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So  this chapter was released way later than I anticipated. I was stuck as to how to proceed with the plot and also with job related activities. Next chapters will be released on a more regular basis. I am also learning how to improve upon the writing to better give you guys a more thrilling and enjoyable experience. Any feedback is appreciated.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello.This is my first fan fic. I don't play overwatch but I love the world, lore and characters. And my favorite character is Symmetra. So this is my first attempt to write a full fledged fan fiction, so please give review and valuable comments so that I can edit the chapters as time goes on.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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